How Google Staff Help Hunt Down Tuna Pirates
Made available for public use as a tool to monitor vessels in global waters, the Global Fishing Watch (which we refer to as GFW) was created in 2015 and is supported by some true heavyweights. Funded by, amongst others, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the project is mainly managed by Google, SkyTruth and Oceana.
GFW has the potential to assist regulators that are interested in monitoring vessels or regions for IUU, or boat owners that want to ensure their vessels are being appropriately used.
Currently in its beta version, GFW is a free tool that allows anybody with access to the internet to track the movements of fishing vessels.
A user will be presented with a map, and then a time period can be selected that is of interest. There are also toggles, that when selected can include or omit areas such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) or Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
Data that is transmitted by satellite via the Automated Identification System (AIS) becomes visible on the map, in the form of a light, which indicates vessel movements.
As things stand, there is a feature that allows users to click the vessel name and then to be rerouted to Marine Traffic, which is an online database for vessels and ports, but it perhaps would be more reliable if users were instead sent to the RFMO that the vessel is registered to.
While there is not yet a facility to specifically locate FADs, movement patterns indicate the whereabouts of popular fishing grounds, which used in combination with the vessel information, could help provide clarity as to where a vessel’s catch comes from.
In this instance, due to the density of the light, it can be seen that the Shoei Maru No.88, Myojin Maru No.8, No. 58 Kotoshiro Maru and the Shofuku Maru No.8 paused just west of the Great Australian Bight.
The highlighted red points that are not directly on the Australian coast (which indicate a no fish zone) show a part of No. 58 Kotoshiro Maru’s journey that involves it going back in its tracks. The blue line displays a route that in combination with other vessels’ heat-map trails, suggests rich fishing waters were found. This was detected using a feature on GFW that enables a user to save and track a vessel to allow further monitoring.
Vessels are visible by using a heat-map, which represents points travelled to and is picked up by satellites. GFW was designed with the intention of protecting ocean resources by combatting IUU fishing. Since its launch, the facility has gained over 10,000 users, and it has already played its part in bringing a vessel accused of IUU fishing to account.
Last year, before GFW’s public launch, Kiribati had suspected that a Taiwan built but Marshall Island flagged tuna seiner, Marshalls 203, had breached its no-fishing zone.
GFW provided evidence that proved guilt, and Kiribati received USD 2.6 million in reparations. It is worth noting that the vessel has now changed its flag to Taiwan and is owned by Kasar Fishing Corporation. Oceana’s Jackie Savitz, who is also Vice President of GFW, said: “When we provided this picture and they showed it to the vessel captain, he realized he was busted”.
When talking to Atuna, Savitz was clear that this technology will not immediately end IUU fishing, but is part of a longer-term strategy that will be reliant on external factors to be a success. The motivation is to create greater accountability and assist the transition to an entirely transparent global chain of supply. In her words: “A lot of people are fishing legally, and we want to see that continue, honest fishermen are being cheated.”
To track vessels, the GFW relies on data from AIS, but it is common knowledge that the AIS system is not as reliable as other technologies, such as the Fishery Information Management System (FIMS). FIMS uses a variety of different data sources that includes AIS, customs data as well as the PNA’s Vessel Monitoring System.
In addition, FIMS provides information such as the name of the observer on board, and also the catch that is on board of the vessel at the time of data transmission.
Windward, an international organization that collects and analyses maritime data, has previously said AIS has “critical vulnerabilities”, but it would seem that FIMS wouldn’t yet be a possibility for the GFW, as it is operated by the PNA and covers just 40 percent of the WCPO.
One of the weaknesses is that the AIS system can be tampered with and turned off, and it is on this point that Savitz is keen to emphasize the importance of other organizations, and even consumers filling in the cracks of the project.
She envisages a future where sustainable seafood is demanded, and the onus is on vessels to prove that they are playing by the rules, or else they face market exclusion. This, according to Savitz, is “where the honest fishermen will get their payoff.”
While the imperfections of AIS may enable vessels to evade permanent surveillance, and there is currently not enough data to see regular IUU fishing, suspicious activity can be passed on to RFMOs and domestic authorities.
Suspicious activity doesn’t always amount to guilt, but one of the strong points in the early days of GFW seems to be the readiness with which it encourages data to be shared with those that are most able to do something with it.
An example given by Savitz, is the protected areas that have been set out by Chile and the Philippines for artisanal, local fishermen. The GFW tool has EEZs and MPAs stencilled on to the map and if larger, foreign vessels are observed to be in areas that are specially designated, it is an indication that a violation might have occurred.
This is where, according to Savitz, global citizens, journalists, or industry members can make a difference. If they approach the tool with a question in mind, such as ‘which kind of vessels are operating in sovereign or protected waters?’, it becomes easier to have more success from what is a vast amount of data.
A notable limitation of the tool at present is its inability to pick up on more rudimentary vessels that do not have the AIS tracking system installed. Savitz concedes that it is currently not realistic to monitor everything in the oceans, and believes that if there is to be a prioritization, it should lie with the larger vessels that can be held accountable.
There is, however, currently a voluntary pilot scheme being run with a smaller scale fishery, which was set up by Google, that she was unable to disclose further information about. It was suggested that the New Year could be the time to reveal further developments regarding the matter.
In terms of the way that each founding partner contributes to the program; SkyTruth is the designated programmer that builds the algorithms and software, Oceana is the “impact partner” that raised the money and gives strategic direction, and Google provides support by managing large data sets, which would otherwise be a big expense.
Additionally, Google has a scheme whereby its employees are able to transfer an allowance of 20 percent of their working schedule to a volunteering or charitable cause. This has provided free labor from a host of technically competent volunteers, essentially paid for by Google.
From talking to Savitz, it is evident that GFW is a work in progress. However, she bristled at the suggestion that the thinking behind this project was that it was better to be launched imperfect, than waiting and ironing out its limitations internally.
However, with such comprehensive amounts of data and software being made public just 12 months after it was announced, it seems to be believed that more progress can be made with the outside assistance; which seems sensible.
Though with no specifics, new features will be deployed in 2017. AIS, despite its flaws, will continue to be used and additionally, Indonesia is providing Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), which will allow GFW to make more data public.
As stated, it will take a lot of outside collaboration for this project to be a success, but it seems to be an opportunity to bring greater transparency and sustainability to our waters.