Little-to-no industrial fishing occurs in fully and highly protected marine areas (2 of 2) (IMAGE)
Caption
This map shows two ways the researchers tracked industrial fishing activity over 2017-2021. The top panel uses signals from ships’ Automatic Identification System (AIS), which broadcast their location, speed, and identity. By analyzing these signals with artificial intelligence (AI), researchers can estimate where fishing is likely happening. However, some vessels turn off their AIS or don’t carry it at all. The bottom panel uses satellite-based radar (Synthetic Aperture Radar, or SAR) to spot these so-called “dark” vessels that would otherwise go undetected. SAR works by sending radar pulses to the ocean’s surface and measuring the reflections, allowing AI models to identify most vessels over 15 meters long even if they have no AIS. The map shows industrial fishing activity density estimated from AIS (average daily apparent fishing hours per 100 square kilometers) and the density of vessels detected by SAR (vessels per 100 square kilometers at the time of satellite flyovers). Points indicate the center of each marine protected area.
Credit
Jennifer Raynor, Sara Orofino, and Gavin McDonald
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