Global Fishing Watch

🚨 BREAKING! #GlobalFishingWatch, @emLabUCSB and @ClimateTRACE undertake first-ever pilot study to map the emissions of all large industrial vessels operating at sea. The analysis covered the activity of more than half a million vessels from 2016-2023. Here's what we found. bit.ly/41TQ0NT

In 2025, transparency moved from principle to practice. We supported 400+ enforcement actions, tracked 500,000+ vessels and helped monitor over 70M km² of ocean. That’s what a year of action for ocean transparency looks like. 🔗 globalfishingwatch.org/annual-report-…

NEW STUDY: Turning data into real-world impact. 🌊 Research in the ICES Journal of Marine Science explores how satellite monitoring and vessel tracking are most effective when paired with trusted partnerships and capacity development. Read more 🔎: bit.ly/4rxLMpJ

Data is helping strengthen protections for Norway lobster in the Adriatic. 🌊 Global Fishing Watch analysis helped identify where bottom trawling overlaps with vulnerable habitats, informing a new GFCM recommendation to reduce trawling and expand protections. 🔎 globalfishingwatch.org/success-story/…

More than half of the ocean is impacted by industrial fishing. 🌊 Transparency at sea matters. 📡 Learn how satellite data is advancing ocean accountability: 🔎 globalfishingwatch.org

75% of industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked. Traceability tracks the product. Transparency verifies the source. To turn risk awareness into practical action, technology is key. 🔗 globalfishingwatch.org/article/how-tr… #SeafoodExpoNorthAmerica

Brazil 🇧🇷 is modernizing its vessel tracking program for the first time in 20+ years. GFW facilitated a technical exchange with Panama and Peru — sharing lessons on how tracking systems work in practice. Stronger regional cooperation supports transparency at sea. 🌊 @MPA_Br @ARAP_Panama @MINPRODUCCION

New in Marine Manager 📍🌊 Upload your own point data and analyze it alongside vessel activity, environmental layers and dark vessel signals — all in one place. Explore Marine Manager:bit.ly/gfw-marine-man… #OceanTech #MarineData

“We cannot manage what we cannot see. And when transparency increases, accountability follows.” The ocean supports global food systems and livelihoods. As #SPRFMO meets in Panama, Michele Kuruc highlights why vessel ownership transparency matters. 🔗 bit.ly/4rL7E25

🌊 Join Global Fishing Watch as a communications manager, innovation! Help turn ocean data, science and technology into compelling stories that advance transparency at sea. 📍 Remote (US, UK, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Senegal) job-boards.greenhouse.io/globalfishingw…

Since 2019, Global Fishing Watch has partnered with Panama 🇵🇦 to strengthen transparency across one of the world’s largest fishing fleets. 350+ vessels are now visible on the Global Fishing Watch map — supporting monitoring, enforcement and marine protection. @ARAP_Panama 🔗 globalfishingwatch.org/our-work-in-pa…

On #WorldWildlifeDay, we’re reflecting on what it really takes to protect marine biodiversity. Ocean protection isn’t just about drawing lines on a map, it’s about ensuring they work in practice. Transparency & open data help turn global ocean commitments into real outcomes. globalfishingwatch.org

Hidden ownership enables illegal fishing. Greater transparency can help bring it to light. As #SPRFMO meets in Panama, Global Fishing Watch calls for stronger vessel ownership disclosure, expanded AIS use and more accessible data to strengthen accountability at sea. 🔗 bit.ly/4rL7E25

New in Marine Manager 📊 Compare multiple datasets in a single report — making it easier to spot patterns without switching views. 🔎 Fishing activity vs sea surface temperature 🛰️ AIS & VMS alongside satellite imagery Marine Manager, co-developed with Dona Bertarelli. Explore: bit.ly/gfw-marine-man…

Ultimate beneficial ownership transparency helps reveal who really controls and profits from fishing vessels — strengthening accountability, licensing and enforcement. Explore our new factsheet to learn why it matters. ⬇️ 🔗 bit.ly/4kWmpfL @Fishcoalition #OceanGovernance #IUUfishing #FisheriesTransparency #BeneficialOwnership

Understanding who profits from fishing is key to tackling IUU fishing. When ownership transparency meets vessel tracking, activity at sea can be linked to accountability on land. Read our conversation with Krizia Matthews. ⬇️ 🔗 bit.ly/40ukghT #OceanGovernance #IUUfishing

In January 2026, the deepest seabed mining test in history took place in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, nearly 2,000 kilometers southeast of Tokyo. The Japanese vessel Chikyu — the world’s largest scientific drilling rig — extracted rare earth-rich mud from the seafloor, 6,000 meters below the surface. These muds contain elements such as Dysprosium, Yttrium, and Terbium. Using Deep-Sea Mining Watch — a transparency platform developed by the @UCSBenioffOcean and @GlobalFishWatch — researchers were able to track the Chikyu’s journey from port to the mining site and monitor the vessel across its two weeks of operations. Satellite imagery captured a visible surface plume stretching kilometers behind the vessel. Scientists say these discharge plumes, created when wastewater is released back into the ocean after extraction activity, could disrupt fragile deep-sea ecosystems. As this emerging industry develops, transparency will be critical for holding deep-sea mining operators accountable while helping to assess impacts. By combining vessel tracking data with satellite imagery, tools like Deep-Sea Mining Watch can help scientists, policymakers and the public understand what is happening in one of the most remote parts of our planet. Explore the activity yourself: https:/www.deepseaminingwatch.msi.ucsb.edu/

🚢 We can track vessels across the ocean — but do we know who truly profits from them? UBO transparency links vessels to the real people behind them, strengthening enforcement and helping curb illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. 🌊 globalfishingwatch.org/ubo

First, a surprising data point: China’s fishing fleet is not growing. Our tracking shows the domestic fleet is shrinking, and the distant-water fleet is stable or declining. Global fishing effort overall has plateaued and may be decreasing. nature.com/articles/s4158…

A recent post by @noahpinion highlighted the massive impact of China's fleets. As the Chief Scientist at @GlobalFishWatch , I want to share what the satellite data tells us – and how transparency can help address these problems. 🧵