UN High Seas Treaty Aims to Combat Overfishing with Cutting-Edge Satellite Technologies

by Fishery News
Published: Last Updated on

In a groundbreaking effort to address the crisis of overfishing and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the United Nations (UN) High Seas Treaty has emerged as a pivotal milestone. Drafted in March by UN member nations, the treaty represents a crucial step towards protecting marine ecosystems that were once beyond the reach of international law.

According to recent reports, approximately one-third of fish stocks worldwide are overfished, with 20 percent of all seafood sourced through illegal fishing practices. IUU fishing, often conducted on the high seas where governance is challenging, poses a significant threat to marine biodiversity and has far-reaching economic consequences, costing the global economy an estimated $23 billion annually.

Emily Langley, a fisheries policy adviser at The Nature Conservancy, underscores the significance of the High Seas Treaty as a key milestone in the decades-long effort to curb IUU fishing. The treaty aligns with the UN Global Biodiversity Framework’s 30×30 target, which aims to protect 30 percent of the Earth’s ocean, land, and inland waters by 2030.

The treaty proposes to establish environmentally protected areas and monitor human threats to ecosystems, particularly focusing on IUU fishing vessels operating on the high seas. One major challenge in this endeavor is the existence of “dark fleets”—unmonitored vessels that operate beyond public tracking systems. These vessels contribute to what researchers term the “ocean data gap,” making it difficult to enforce regulations.

To overcome this challenge, a new wave of satellite technologies is being leveraged to survey the oceans. David Kroodsma, the director of research at the Global Fishing Watch, a collaboration between Google, Oceana, and SkyTruth, highlights the lack of monitoring at sea compared to on land. His team has developed algorithms and artificial intelligence methods that combine limited vessel data with imagery from Earth-monitoring satellites.

This data, collected from sources like automatic identification systems (AIS), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and NASA-operated infrared satellites (VIIRS), has been used to identify and track illegal fishing vessels in various high seas regions. The goal is to eliminate the “ocean data gap” and provide a comprehensive understanding of IUU hotspots and over-exploited marine ecosystems.

While the High Seas Treaty is not binding, the incorporation of advanced monitoring technologies, combined with other best practices such as port inspections and human observers, can enhance the ability of nations and regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) to regulate and enforce fishing practices. This approach comes at a critical time as seafood consumption is growing at twice the rate of the global population.

Langley emphasizes the urgency of finding a solution that balances the need to feed the world’s population with the imperative of maintaining healthy fish stocks and establishing a regenerative food system. The combination of a regulated industry, transparency, accountability, and advanced monitoring technologies is seen as a promising path forward in addressing the complex challenges of global fisheries.

Source: Earth Island Journal

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