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https://theconversation.com/when-fishing-boats-go-dark-at-sea-theyre-often-committing-crimes-we-mapped-where-it-happens-196694>
"In January 2019, the Korean-flagged fishing vessel Oyang 77 sailed south
toward international waters off Argentina. The vessel had a known history of
nefarious activities, including underreporting its catch and illegally dumping
low-value fish to make room in its hold for more lucrative catch.
At 2 a.m. on Jan. 10, the Oyang 77 turned off its location transponder at the
edge of Argentina’s exclusive economic zone – a political boundary that divides
Argentina’s national waters from international waters, or the high seas. At 9
p.m. on Jan. 11, the Oyang 77 turned its transponder back on and reappeared on
the high seas. For the 19 hours when the ship was dark, no information was
available about where it had gone or what it did.
In a recent study, I worked with colleagues at Global Fishing Watch, a
nonprofit that works to advance ocean governance by increasing transparency of
human activity at sea, to show that these periods of missing transponder data
actually contain useful information on where ships go and what they do. And
authorities like the International Maritime Organization can use this missing
data to help combat illegal activities at sea, such as overfishing and
exploiting workers on fishing boats.
Illegal fishing causes economic losses estimated at $US10 billion to $25
billion annually. It also has been linked to human rights violations, such as
forced labor and human trafficking. Better information about how often boats go
dark at sea can help governments figure out where and when these activities may
be taking place."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
