Africa is a hotspot for illegal fishing by foreign fleets, and now for the first time, researchers have pinpointed where that illicit activity is happening around the entire continent \u2013 and identified the culprits.<\/p>\n
Based on their map, which uses satellite technology to track boats\u2019 movement and artificial intelligence to interpret it, researchers at Global Fishing Watch<\/a> have singled out industrial trawlers operating unlawfully in inshore waters reserved for small-scale \u201cartisanal\u201d fishers.<\/p>\n Their findings show these big, foreign ships are targeting certain countries. For instance, 93% of industrial fishing in Somalia between 2012 and 2016 occurred in a banned area \u2013 a zone stretching 24 nautical miles from the shore that had been set aside for small, local fishing boats.<\/p>\n All those industrial trawlers were flying South Korea\u2019s flag, according to a new paper<\/a> documenting the research. Other large vessels most often making incursions into the inshore waters of African countries were flagged to the European Union (Greece and Spain) and China.<\/p>\n With the World Trade Organisation (WTO) missing a deadline in December to reach an agreement banning subsidies<\/a> that fuel such industrial fishing, the technology could give African officials and other regulators an important tool to combat the marine crime that robs their citizens of food, livelihoods, and in some cases, their lives.<\/p>\n
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