Global Fishing Watch

📢 JUST PUBLISHED: We're excited to be lead authors on a new study in Nature that illuminates the expanding footprint of human activity at sea! 🛰️ The groundbreaking research harnesses AI, satellite imagery and vessel GPS data to reveal previously unmapped industrial activity on the ocean—and how it is changing. 🤝 Working alongside researchers from University of Wisconsin-Madison, Duke University, UC Santa Barbara and SkyTruth, Global Fishing Watch analyzed 2 million gigabytes of satellite imagery spanning 2017-2021, to detect vessels and offshore infrastructure in coastal waters across six continents. Learn more about this groundbreaking advancement in ocean transparency below. 🌐 English: https://bitly.ws/38yJc 🌐 Spanish: https://bitly.ws/38yL4 #AI #BigData #Technology #OceanConservation

🌊 The UN FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) is the largest international gathering of policymakers, experts and partners in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. 🗺️ It is the only global intergovernmental forum where FAO Members meet to critically consider and address key sectoral issues — with the aim of providing periodic recommendations and policy advice to governments, regional fisheries bodies, civil society organizations and actors from the international community. 🌍 At the recently held #COFI36 in Rome, Global Fishing Watch took to the floor to address harmful IUU Fishing, which undermines global food security, promotes environmental degradation and impedes the sustainable demand for aquatic foods. Our three recommendations to combat this threat, increase transparency of human activity at sea and enhance ocean governance: 1️⃣ Pursue a binding global agreement requiring the use of vessel tracking systems and sharing position data 2️⃣ Share beneficial ownership information through the FAO Global Record 3️⃣ Enhance data transparency through the availability of innovative technology The intervention was delivered on the heels of a lunch hosted by Global Fishing Watch, which served as another impactful meeting point to engage with a cohort of States committed to championing transparency through their work with our organization. 📸 ICYMI: catch our highlights and web piece linked to the high-level gathering here: bit.ly/4bvsHg3 | Photo 1 and 2: ©UN FAO

💼 CAREER OPPORTUNITIES! 💡 We have two exciting openings on the Global Fishing Watch research and innovation team. 1️⃣ Scientific Programmer, Python 2️⃣ Technical Project Manager, Research 👥 The successful candidates will work alongside our globally-distributed team of data scientists, machine learning engineers and researchers to help coordinate, project manage and build the technology behind our organization's pioneering Open Ocean Project. 🌐 Applications close July 20: bit.ly/493peEB 🌐 Learn more about our Open Ocean Project here: bit.ly/3Hh0zR8 #RemoteWork | #Hiring | #Jobs

🚨 Great news! We’ve updated gfwr — the #GlobalFishingWatch R package. This package is a simple wrapper for Global Fishing Watch APIs, which provides convenient functions to freely pull our data directly into R workflows. It now communicates with the latest version of our APIs and comes with several improvements. You can retrieve data directly from R through the following API endpoints: 🗺️ 4Wings - to retrieve rasterized fishing effort for different gears, flags, and geographic areas. 🚢 Vessel API - to fetch vessel identity information. This update includes non-fishing vessels and information from public registries and authorizations. 🎣 Events API - to retrieve fishing events, port visits, encounters, loitering, and AIS-disabling events (“gaps”). 📈 Events stats - to retrieve summary statistics for specific regions and time intervals. We have also expanded the documentation. Check the package vignettes linked below for more information about using these functions. 🌐 Stats API documentation: bit.ly/4d0gqBz 🌐 Get started: bit.ly/3S3XGZJ 🌐 Getting identity information: bit.ly/4cysYjN 🌐 Making maps: bit.ly/3zLRCyA You can install gfwr directly from GitHub or from the #rOpenSci R-universe. 🌐 GitHub: bit.ly/4cqzFnR 🌐 R-universe: bit.ly/3xKpgEp Note: our API version 2 will no longer be updated. If you use gfwr to access our APIs, we recommend installing this new version and updating your scripts. 🌐 Access the changelog here: bit.ly/3xGLmI4

🌊 The current state of our ocean highlights the urgent need for targeted policies rooted in transparency. Such policies enable capacity development — driving the transfer of technology and responsible investments to support sustainable fisheries management globally. 🌍 As part of our attendance at the 36th session of the FAO's Committee on Fisheries (COFI), Global Fishing Watch hosted country representatives and key partners in Rome, Italy for a lunch to discuss our shared objectives. 🔍 The lunch brought together a cohort of States committed to championing transparency through their work with our organization and provided a forum to strengthen international collaboration, share best practices and promote progressive policies and data sharing. 🐟 As #COFI36 plenary sessions advance this week, Global Fishing Watch will be in the room ready to discuss and support actions by the FAO and Member States on vessel tracking, beneficial ownership, data transparency and other key issues. 🤝 Together, we can make a significant impact and pave the way for a more transparent and sustainable ocean future. More here: bit.ly/4bvsHg3

🌍 This week at #COFI36, delegates have a chance to move the needle forward in achieving a sustainable ocean future for all. 🐟 The 36th session of the Committee on Fisheries will provide a key forum to address global challenges in aquatic food systems, including food security and nutrition, climate change, plastic pollution and biodiversity conservation. 📊 Central to these discussions will be efforts to enhance data collection and analysis, to better inform fisheries management policies. 🌊 In line with our organization's work to create, transform and distribute data to increase the transparency of human activities at sea, our Chief Program Officer Paolo Roberto Domondon hones in on three key areas of action for the UN FAO and Member States to prioritize as discussions advance in Rome, Italy. 🌐 More here: bit.ly/4bvsHg3

🌊 Our ocean is in trouble and so are its ecosystems. 🐟 The 2024 State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture report, released last month by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), paints a concerning picture of fisheries resources that face critical threats ranging from climate change to pollution, habitat degradation, overfishing and poor management. 🌍 As decision makers descend on Rome, Italy for the 36th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, we examine three game-changing actions that can advance progress towards more effective and sustainable ocean management globally. 🌐 More here: bit.ly/4bvsHg3 | Photo: © FAO/ Pier Paolo Cito

🗓️ The 36th session of the UN FAO Committee on Fisheries is set to tackle our ocean's most pressing challenges. ⚓ Among them, IUU Fishing, marine pollution, habitat degradation and poor management continue to wreak havoc on fisheries resources and fish stocks globally. 🌍 #COFI36 will provide a crucial intergovernmental forum to advance discussions and actions on these issues. 🐟 As we turn our eyes to Rome, Italy for the high-level gathering, Chief Program Officer at Global Fishing Watch — Paolo Roberto Domondon hones in on 3 key areas of action in a new piece that examines how vessel tracking, beneficial ownership and data transparency could boost global fisheries management and increase transparency on the high seas. 🌐 Take a read: bit.ly/4bvsHg3

💻 Have you registered for our upcoming webinar with TMT? 📅 Join us this Friday, July 5 for an insightful session aimed at equipping fisheries managers with vessel information to help eliminate #IUUFishing. 🌐 Secure your spot here: bit.ly/3VYVwwW