ocean management

The sheer size of the ocean and the fact that most of it lies beyond the jurisdiction of States has meant that it has been impossible to manage: the High Seas have been easy to exploit and pollute, a place where smuggling, trafficking, slavery and other illicit crimes are conducted with impunity, a near lawless frontier - the book, podcast and film series made by Ian Urbina collected under The Outlaw Ocean project are highly recommended for their reporting on many crimes on the High Seas.

The lawless frontier may however be about to change: recent developments in technology coupled with new AI algorithms show enormous potential for a vastly improved system of management for any ocean activity - in particular but not necessarily limited to fisheries. A multi-layered system involving satellites, cameras, radar, and above all enhanced data sharing and management is already enabling States to have a much tighter control over activities in their waters, for fisheries activities these include transshipment, IUU fisheries, bycatch and even conditions on board vessels - and this could well be developed to cover any acitivity on the ocean.

Satellite remote sensing: with vast areas to patrol, coastal States and regional fisheries management bodies are rarely equipped with the necessary vessels and manpower to provide adequate coverage of the waters under their jurisdiction. This is where the first level of technology comes in - satellite remote sensing can track vessels via the transponders that most are obliged to carry, a Vehicle Monitoring System (VMS) for fishing vessels of (usually) more than 12 metres operating internationally (the flag State sets the specific requirements) and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) which the IMO SOLAS Convention obliges any vessel of more than 500 GT in weight or those over 300 GT if on an international voyage or with passengers to carry (and indeed many smaller vessels also carry an AIS as it has proved a useful collision avoidance system).

VMS was developed in the 1990s as a tool for monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries vessels in an attempt to address concerns related to sovereignty issues and track vessels fishing illegally within coastal jurisdictions, the system is designed so that only flag States can receive, check and distribute data (for example to RFMOs). The VMS unit automatically sends data, including the vessel identification, its geographical position, the date and time of the position and the vessel’s course and speed, at set intervals to the flag State. Switching off the VMS would result in the vessel being recalled to port.

AIS meanwhile is a tool designed in the 2000s to increase navigational safety and maritime traffic management. The difference here lies in the sharing of data - AIS data is transmitted via VHF and is available to all and herein lies the challenge: anyone can see where a vessel is at any time. In order to avoid the potential risk of pirate attacks, AIS can be switched off if necessary, allowing vessels to ‘go dark’ and no longer be tracked.

In order to effectively monitor fisheries activity, it is useful to have both VMS and AIS data sets. More and more States are providing VMS data to organizations like Global Fishing Watch in an attempt to combat IUU fisheries, allowing them to compare VMS and AIS data sets and track vessels even if they do go dark.

An additional layer of information can be provide by satellites with high-resolution cameras and software able to detect, identify and track vessels. Some are also equipped with synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) sensors which send a radar ping down to the ocean, bouncing back up to the satellite with information collected from the ocean surface, thereby creating a new set of radar images. These can be used to detect vessels at night or in cloudy conditions when visual identification isn’t possible. Others use a visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS) which can detect light emitted from vessels at night. By adding each layer of information together, vessel identification and activity can be tracked.

Radar: by involving the global fleet in the regulation of fisheries activities, maritime surveillance information can be be collected, amalgamating the navigation radar data of cooperating vessels, so-called ‘radar harvesting’. In this way a wide range of vessels can provide free, real-time, and high-resolution surveillance data.

Remote electronic monitoring (REM): vessels can be equipped with an array of sensors (for nets and fishing gear) and Closed-Circuit Television cameras, providing information on the size and species caught, the level of bycatch, even the conditions for crew on board. Fishers are often keen to work with REM as it provides reliable data for fisheries research to create a sustainable and healthy fishing sector.

Data sharing and analysis: putting all of this data together, analyzing and sharing it is the next step. With enormous amounts of data coming in from all over the world, AI can be used to identify the location and movement of vessels (specific patterns generally relate to specific types of fishing), if a vessel came in close contact with another vessel, and how its movements compare with previous activity - all allowing the coast guard or navy to focus their surveillance missions.