In celebration of Innovation Month, a number of companies including Oceana, SkyTruth and Google launched GlobalWatch, an online tool that allows anyone with an internet connection to monitor fishing activity anywhere in the world’s oceans in almost real-time.
The tool uses satellite technology, together with radar on boats to trace the paths of 35,000 commercial fishing vessels and this data is available to the general public, journalists, researchers and others who may act as watchdogs in ensuring world fisheries are sustainably managed.
According to the Global Fishing watch website the technology is meant to help keep watch on the oceans economy, and also help curb the abuse of marine resources that happen via global overfishing, illegal fishing and habitat destruction while being able to keep those responsible for this accountable.
Fishery stakeholders are invited to utilise the tool, “We invite all fishery stakeholders to explore the Map. Global Fishing Watch is not an advocacy or enforcement agency, but a transparency tool to help enable awareness and discussion around fishery issues” Global Fishing watch.
Read More here: http://globalfishingwatch.org/