Until now, organizations relied on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to monitor ships at sea. However, researchers from the non-profit organization powered by Google, Global Fishing Watch, have uncovered a significant amount of human activity in the oceans that had not been detected until now. How is this possible? They have achieved this through a combination of satellite images, GPS data, and the incorporation of artificial intelligence. Specifically, they have used AI algorithms to analyze data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellites, which revealed that between 72%-76% of ships engaged in industrial fishing are not being publicly tracked.
This study has not only served to analyze the fishing sector, but it has also been useful in obtaining information related to offshore energy development, which was not publicly tracked. They were able to determine that the installation of wind turbines and the use of renewable energies have increased, but oil companies continue to be the leaders in generating vessel traffic. All this information is useful for governments and authorities, as it adds aspects to consider in decision-making regarding the management of marine resources and climate change.
Global Fishing Watch
Founded by Google, Skytruth, and Oceana in 2014 in the United States, Global Fishing Watch is the nonprofit organization that operates the only remote vessel tracking system. Its platform is available globally and publicly, and its mission is to monitor large-scale commercial fishing vessels and combat illegal fishing. With this, they aim to promote transparency in the oceans, enabling governments, authorities, and citizens to monitor vessels, identify fishing patterns, and improve fisheries management for greater sustainability of the oceans and seas.
Traditional tracking
Until now, organizations and authorities relied solely on the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to monitor ships present at sea. This method consists of a VHF transponder system that allows ships to exchange information related to their position, course, speed, and other aspects. The limitations of this system are that its use is not mandatory for all countries (which means the information it provides is not real), and it can be easily turned off by the crew to avoid detection if they wish. As a result, a large number of ships went completely unnoticed by the authorities.
New methods
Recently, the journal Nature published an article detailing the latest technological innovation from Global Fishing Watch. This organization has managed to implement satellite imagery, GPS data, and the use of artificial intelligence to improve the monitoring and detection of vessels at sea. Following the use of this new technology, researchers discovered that between 72-76% of the world’s fishing vessels are not being detected.
These vessels are referred to as “dark vessels,” one third of which are engaged in “transport and energy” activities, and do not appear in public tracking. To gain an even more comprehensive view of the seas, researchers have utilized AI to analyze data from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 satellite constellation, amounting to no less than 2,000 terabytes of information. It was thanks to that data that the number of ships not detected by conventional means was discovered, especially in regions along the coasts of Africa, or in the south and southeast of Asia.
What importance does this discovery have?
Now that the sea holds fewer secrets for researchers, it has been possible to add to the information obtained the growth of new offshore wind turbine platforms, which saw a surge in 2020. By 2021, these accounted for almost half of the oceanic infrastructures, while oil rigs only represented 38%. However, the oil industry continues to generate much more traffic than renewable energies, specifically five times more.
Nevertheless, this information is useful for authorities and researchers, as it offers a broader and more accurate spectrum that helps in making decisions related to climate change and those related to the management of marine resources.
