Vela RajeshVela is a Senior Systems Design Engineer at PierSight. He graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with degrees in Robotics Engineering and Computer Science and has worked at several startups in the robotics domain.
Table of Contents
- What is IUU fishing?
- Why is IUU Fishing a Problem?
- Monitoring Technologies for IUU Fishing And Their Limitations
- Automated Identification System (AIS)
- Maritime Patrol
- Satellite Monitoring Systems
- Detecting IUU Fishing Using Synthetic Aperture Radars
- SAR Satellites vs Optical Satellites
- PierSight: Persistent Ocean Monitoring Satellite Constellation
- The Future of Maritime Monitoring
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PierSight has reached the final stages of the NSIN/NGA Global Fishing Forecast Grand Challenge, where we’re building solutions to predict fishing activity and detect IUU fishing.
Marine wildlife makes up 80% of life on Earth. Despite how heavily reliant humans are on aquatic fauna for food and livelihood, oceans face consistent negligence when it comes to measures that ensure sustainable fishing and ecosystem preservation.
Did you know that illegal operations in our oceans drain the world of up to $36.4 billion worth of seafood every year?
According to a study by the Ocean Panel - an initiative of 14 countries and the UN, IUU fishing accounts for 1 in every 5 wild fish caught. Labor exploitation, use of prohibited gear, overexploiting resources at sea, and the infiltration of reserved state waters are all different attributes of IUU fishing, making it a global concern.
What is IUU fishing?
IUU fishing stands for Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing. It refers to fishing activities that violate national laws or international obligations and undermine the sustainability of fish stocks. Here's a non-exhaustive breakdown of what each term means:
Illegal Fishing:
- Fishing without a valid license or permit
- Fishing in prohibited areas like marine reserves
- Using banned fishing gear or methods
- Catching prohibited species
Unreported Fishing:
- Failing to report or misreporting catches to relevant national or regional authorities.
- Underreporting catches to avoid quotas or controls.
Unregulated Fishing:
- Fishing by vessels without nationality or flying a "flag of convenience."
- Fishing in areas with no applicable conservation or management measures
- Fishing in a manner inconsistent with responsible fishing practices
IUU Fishing includes all fishing practices that defy international regulations and management systems and negatively impact global sustainability standards.
Why is IUU Fishing a Problem?
IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing is a major global problem with far-reaching consequences to oceans, ecosystems, and people:
- Marine Biodiversity Loss
- Overfishing depletes fish stocks beyond sustainable levels
- Threatens species like Atlantic bluefin tuna (82% population loss since 1970s)
- Disrupts food chains and ecosystems
- Destructive fishing methods like trawling damage seafloor habitats
- Economic Impacts
- Estimated up to $36 billion annual loss to global fishing industry
- Creates unfair competition for law-abiding fishers
- Undermines sustainable fisheries management efforts
- Impacts livelihoods of coastal communities dependent on fishing
- Food Insecurity
- Depleted fish stocks threaten food security, especially in developing nations
- Leads to malnutrition and exacerbates poverty cycles
- Human Rights Violations
- Use of forced labor, human trafficking, debt bondage
- Inhumane working conditions, Abuse of crew members including murders
- Enabled by lack of oversight and enforcement
A recommended watch is Seaspiracy, a 2021 documentary about the fishing industry. It’s eye-opening for most of us who don’t really have a first hand view of the industry. While it doesn’t deal exclusively with IUU fishing, it’s indicative of how we need to build more sustainable practices.
Take some of the facts and figures with a pinch of salt: that aren’t completely accurate and border on alarmist at times.
So, how is IUU fishing detected and prevented?
Monitoring Technologies for IUU Fishing And Their Limitations
Automated Identification System (AIS)
The primary technology for monitoring vessels is called Automated Identification System (AIS). AIS is a tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services to identify and locate vessels by electronically exchanging data with other nearby ships, AIS base stations, and satellites.
Essentially, an AIS message is broadcast at defined intervals sharing information about the vessel’s navigation data, voyage related data, maritime safety, and other information vital to maritime operations and safety.
That sounds fantastic, but there’s a catch. Or rather, several of them.
AIS systems are mandatory for fishing vessels over 65 feet in the US; that’s only 12 percent of all fishing vessels registered in the country. In Europe, the requirements are stricter - mandatory for vessels over 49 feet. Globally, only 2% of fishing vessels have AIS transceivers installed.
Then there’s issue of switching off AIS or, even worse, spoofing signals to transmit false information. There has been a steady rise in dark ships (those with AIS turned off) engaged in several activities illegal activities including fishing.
Maritime Patrol
A country’s coastguard is responsible for protection of it’s EEZ. But they aren’t as effective due to limited resources for monitoring vast areas.
To illustrate the point, take a look at the area of the Exclusive Economic Zone of US, India and Indonesia. Alongside this, we compare the number of patrol craft - sea and air - available to each of the coastguard.
Country | Land Surface (sq. km) | Exclusive Economic Zone (sq. km) |
United States | 9,833,520 | 11,351,000 |
India | 3,287,263 | 2,372,298 |
Indonesia | 1,904,569 | 6,159,032 |
Equipment | US Coastguard | Indian Coastguard | Indonesia Coastguard | Notes |
Ships | 280 | 160 | 73 | Ship length > 20m |
Boats & Crafts | 1200 | 60 | 296 | Ship length < 20m |
Airplanes | 58 | 36 | Unknown | ㅤ |
Helicopters | 144 | 37 | Unknown | ㅤ |
It’s very evident that the exercise of monitoring such vast areas with so few resources could be compared to finding a needle in a haystack. Coastguard have been inducting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) but it would barely make a dent.
Annually, governments spend a significant amount to develop their maritime protection capabilities. Coastguard of the US were allocated a budget of $13.5B for FY-25, while their India counterparts were allocated $920M.
Satellite Monitoring Systems
Useful Earth Observation satellites - in context of maritime monitoring - are typically electro-optical satellites of which there are several operated by private companies. However, while companies such as Planet Labs - with over 200 satellites in orbit - image the whole earth every day, their data is limited to daytime and dependent on clear weather and no cloud cover. Hence, they cannot offer persistent monitoring.
Barring AIS satellites, there doesn’t exist any dedicated infrastructure in space to track and monitor maritime activity persistently and in near realtime.
Detecting IUU Fishing Using Synthetic Aperture Radars
Picture this, a giant CCTV in the sky trained on 100% of the ocean at all times - 24x7. That’s the promise that Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites hold for the future of maritime monitoring.
SAR is a remote sensing technology that captures high-resolution images of the Earth's surface using radar signals. In the maritime context, SAR can image ships by analyzing reflected radar waves that bounce off their surface. A SAR image of ships almost look like stars twinkling against the background of the night sky.
Now, pair that with data from AIS and you get a richer picture. You could even compare how many vessels are going ‘dark’.
SAR Satellites vs Optical Satellites
Optical satellites generate images by capture electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum - visible light. As such, they can’t image under cloud cover, bad weather, and nighttime. SAR, on the other hand, makes use of radar technology and can operate in complete darkness and in all weather conditions.
SAR can also simultaneously scan large maritime areas. As a result, a wider range of vessels and activities can be detected across huge swaths of the ocean surface, expanding the surveillance scope. For reference, the European Space Agency (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-1 typically has a swathe of about 250 km but can also operate on a wide swathe of 400 km.
PierSight: Persistent Ocean Monitoring Satellite Constellation
Now that you’ve understood what a ‘space-based CCTV’ for maritime monitoring looks like, it’s quite straightforward to have a global CCTV for the oceans.
If you fly several of these satellites in the form of a constellation, you could cover 100% of the oceans with each spot being revisited several times a day. This is exactly what we’re building here at PierSight - a constellation of SAR & AIS satellites that will have a revisit time of as low as 30 minutes.
With visibility during nighttime and all weather conditions, the fusion of SAR & AIS data will ensure all ships become visible and ships that purposely go ‘dark’ can be specifically monitored and reprimanded.
Our solution of detecting IUU fishing using SAR & AIS satellites will help government entities such as coast guards, departments in charge of commerce, fishery, environment, and labour. Additionally, non-governmental organizations that work toward protection and sustainability of the ocean and its resources will benefit from this rich data.
The Future of Maritime Monitoring
Our satellite constellation is intended to tackle several environmental-focused problems, including, but not limited to IUU fishing. As the globe moves toward legal and policy decisions that consciously prioritize environmental health, we intend to lend a helping hand.
Currently, PierSight has made it to the final stages of the NSIN/NGA Global Fishing Forecast Grand Challenge.
The objective of the challenge is to elucidate IUU fishing activities by transitioning the analytic paradigm from detection to anticipation, via the development of novel and effective forecasting capabilities.
Recently, we were winners of the INDUS-X challenge to detect oil spills. Together with the Indian and US Coastguard, we will look to commercialize a product for oil spill detection and monitoring.
The future of maritime monitoring is going to move toward realtime and persistent surveillance. It will bring accountability and help us better protect one of the most important natural resources we have.
Proofreading, editorial, and additional contributions from Mradula Hegde, Shreya Bose, Justin Alva, Salonee Kandhari
Written by
Vela Rajesh
Vela is a Senior Systems Design Engineer at PierSight. He graduated from University of California, Santa Cruz with degrees in Robotics Engineering and Computer Science and has worked at several startups in the robotics domain.
