Lessons Learned

The EU

Common Fisheries Policy

The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), set up by the European Commission to manage fish stocks across the EU is widely agreed to have failed so far to prevent overfishing and to manage our fisheries in a sustainable way.

Credits: Wildlife Trusts

Catch Targets

limits the number of fish removed from the sea

Ban on Discards

100% of landed fish must be used

Promising Developments

In 2002,

the World Summit on

Sustainable Development and

the Convention on Biological Diversity committed countries to reaching

10% by 2012.

#MISS

But in 2016,

the total proportion of the world’s oceans protected from fishing is just

2%

What are Protected Areas? 

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) 

places at sea where human activities such as fishing are restricted

Promising Developments

The Obama Administration recently announced the establishment of the largest marine reserve in the world.

Caveat 

• big enough,

• close enough,

• representative,

• numerous enough and

• actively protected. 

MPAs are not effective in isolation and can only work if they are:

Case in Point

The global figurehead of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ocean protection programme, Dan Laffoley, co-authored a report five years ago.  

Dan said that most marine protected area’s

“are ineffective or only partially effective”

Credits: The Guardian

But How Would We Know 

Answer: BIG DATA

If MPAs are effective?

Existing applications rely significantly on ship-borne observations for either calibration or validation

Fishing vessels are required to carry a transponder(AIS) that tracks their movements and allows authorities to monitor their behaviour.

But illegal fishers simply switch off the machine, disappearing from the system.

Data Collection

Advantages:

• image large areas at once,
• discreetly observe boats
• repeat observations frequently, and
• observe independently of weather

* the cost of satellite radar has dropped dramatically

Satellite Data Collection

Eyes on the Seas

to help monitor seas across the globe

satellite tracking and imagery data 

other sources (fishing vessel databases and oceanographic data) 

Supporting Evidence

An initial study of Ascension waters using satellites found at least eight boats that had turned off their transponders and were possibly fishing illegally.

Credits: The Guardian

Sample Image of a vessel using satellite data

Our Underwater Solution

Caveats

“The feasibility of actually taking a prosecution through the courts using remote sensing [on its own] is still questioned by the Foreign Office” and the technology would still require boats in the water.

Credits: The Guardian

Potential Benefits

• prevent the accidental capture of animals such as dolphins and seabirds,
• minimise the damage to seabed habitats from heavy fishing gear,
• reduce impacts on the marine food-web, and
• ensure target species are not over-fished.

Credits: Wildlife Trusts

“The excuses that it’s far too large, it’s far too remote, it’s far too expensive are old excuses. The reality is that we do have the technology to be able to police these places,” said Laffoley.

N.B. Dan now believes the reserves can now offer true sanctuary when coupled with technology

No More Excuses

Credits: The Guardian

Thank You!