Latest news with #GlobalFishingWatch
Toronto Star
a day ago
- General
- Toronto Star
At U.N. Ocean Conference, Panama and Global Fishing Watch Forge Landmark Partnership to Boost Ocean Protection
NICE, France, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Global Fishing Watch, an international nonprofit organization advancing ocean governance through transparency of human activity at sea, and Panama's Ministry of the Environment (MiAmbiente) have announced a new partnership aimed at promoting transparency, strengthening ocean governance and conserving marine biodiversity within Panama's marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), the two parties confirmed today. The partnership, launched at the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, amid the signing of a memorandum of understanding, will see Panamanian authorities and Global Fishing Watch collaborate to enhance the management, surveillance and environmental enforcement of Panama's protected waters through the increased use of cutting-edge technologies such as Global Fishing Watch's unique open source tools. In addition, the collaboration will work to accelerate protection of vulnerable species and marine ecosystems in line with the 30x30 goals — the sustainability pledge aimed at effectively conserving 30 percent of the world's land and ocean by 2030.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
China Dominates 44% of Visible Fishing Activity Worldwide
A new Oceana analysis reveals the global scale of China's visible fishing fleet Washington, D.C., June 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, on the International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing, Oceana released an analysis of China's global fishing* activity worldwide between 2022 and 2024. The analysis shows China's global fishing footprint, in which 57,000 of their industrial fishing vessels dominated 44% of the world's visible fishing activity during this period. 'To protect our oceans and fisheries, we must know who is fishing and where,' said Dr. Max Valentine, illegal fishing and transparency campaign director and senior scientist at Oceana. 'It is critical that we have eyes on the seas, paying close attention to the world's largest fishing fleets, especially from China, which have been linked to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses at sea. The sheer scale of China's distant-water fleet has a profound impact on marine ecosystems worldwide. Transparency at sea is essential, not just to track distant-water fleets, but to hold bad actors accountable, protect vulnerable communities, and safeguard the sustainability of our ocean for future generations.' Some key takeaways from Oceana's analysis of China's apparent fishing activity over a three-year period, from Jan. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2024: 57,000 fishing vessels, primarily trawlers, flagged to China appeared to fish for more than 110 million hours, China's fishing vessels appeared to conduct 44% of the global fishing activity during this period, Chinese vessels accounted for 30% of all fishing activity on the high seas, appearing to fish for more than 8.3 million hours, China's fishing vessels were most active in South Korea (11.8 million hours), Taiwan (4.4 million hours), Japan (1.5 million hours), Kiribati (almost 425,000 hours), and Papua New Guinea (over 415,000 hours), China appeared to fish in more than 90 countries' waters for more than 22 million hours. Increased transparency in global fisheries is critical. Oceana calls on governments to require vessel monitoring for both their fishing fleets and vessels they authorize to fish in their waters. The analysis used data from Global Fishing Watch** (GFW) — an independent nonprofit founded by Oceana in partnership with Google and SkyTruth. Notably, the analysis reflects only a partial view of China's fishing activities during this time, as it includes only those vessels flagged to China and transmitting automatic identification system (AIS) data, making them 'visible' to public tracking systems. Background Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a low-risk, high-reward activity, especially on the high seas where a fragmented legal framework and lack of effective enforcement allow it to thrive. IUU fishing can include fishing without authorization, ignoring catch limits, operating in closed or protected areas, targeting protected wildlife, and fishing with prohibited gear. These illicit activities can destroy important ocean habitat, severely deplete fish populations, and threaten global food security. These actions not only contribute to overfishing, but also give illegal fishers an unfair advantage over those who play by the rules. Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll in 2024, which found that American voters overwhelmingly support transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain. Included among the key findings, 90% of voters agree that imported seafood should be held to the same standards as U.S. caught seafood. Additionally, 91% of voters agree that seafood caught using human trafficking and slave labor should NOT be bought or sold in the U.S. Eighty-five percent of voters agree that all seafood should be traceable from the fishing boat to the dinner plate, and 88% say consumers should be reassured that the seafood they purchase was legally caught. Oceana's poll, conducted by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®, surveyed 1,053 registered U.S. voters from June 28 to 30, 2024. Read more about Oceana's campaign . *Any and all references to 'fishing' should be understood in the context of Global Fishing Watch's (GFW) fishing detection algorithm, which is a best effort to determine 'apparent fishing effort' based on vessel speed and direction data from the automatic identification system (AIS) collected via satellites and terrestrial receivers. As AIS data varies in completeness, accuracy, and quality, and the fishing detection algorithm is a statistical estimate of apparent fishing activity, it is possible that some fishing effort is not identified and, conversely, that some fishing effort identified is not fishing. For these reasons, GFW qualifies all designations of vessel fishing effort, including synonyms of the term 'fishing effort,' such as 'fishing' or 'fishing activity,' as 'apparent' rather than certain. Any/all GFW information about 'apparent fishing effort' should be considered an estimate and must be relied upon solely at your own risk. GFW is taking steps to make sure fishing effort designations are as accurate as possible. All references to EEZ boundaries and sovereignty are based solely off the Marine Regions "World EEZ v12" definitions. **Global Fishing Watch, a provider of open data for use in this analysis, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea. The views and opinions expressed in this press release and fact sheet are those of the authors, which are not connected with or sponsored, endorsed or granted official status by Global Fishing Watch. By creating and publicly sharing map visualizations, data and analysis tools, Global Fishing Watch aims to enable scientific research and transform the way our ocean is managed. Global Fishing Watch's public data was used in the production of this fact sheet. Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-quarter of the world's wild fish catch. With more than 325 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles, whales, and sharks, Oceana's campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit to learn more. Attachment Oceana's Analysis on China Fishing CONTACT: Oceana mjordan@ in to access your portfolio
The Advertiser
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Trump order on commercial fishing in Pacific challenged
Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens it to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the US commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 1.3 million square kilometres in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the US National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 96km or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. "We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments," David Henkin, an Earthjustice lawyer, said in a statement. "Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input." Designating the area in the Pacific Ocean to the south and west of the Hawaiian islands as a monument provided "needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the "cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests" of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific. Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens it to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the US commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 1.3 million square kilometres in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the US National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 96km or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. "We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments," David Henkin, an Earthjustice lawyer, said in a statement. "Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input." Designating the area in the Pacific Ocean to the south and west of the Hawaiian islands as a monument provided "needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the "cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests" of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific. Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens it to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the US commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 1.3 million square kilometres in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the US National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 96km or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. "We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments," David Henkin, an Earthjustice lawyer, said in a statement. "Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input." Designating the area in the Pacific Ocean to the south and west of the Hawaiian islands as a monument provided "needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the "cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests" of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific. Environmentalists have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens it to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the US commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 1.3 million square kilometres in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the US National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed in a federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 96km or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. "We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments," David Henkin, an Earthjustice lawyer, said in a statement. "Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input." Designating the area in the Pacific Ocean to the south and west of the Hawaiian islands as a monument provided "needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth," the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the "cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests" of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific.
Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Environmentalists' lawsuit challenges Trump's order to allow commercial fishing in Pacific monument
HONOLULU — Environmentalists are challenging in court President Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens the area to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the U.S. commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and expanded by President Obama to nearly 500,000 square miles in the central Pacific Ocean. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment Friday. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 60 miles or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. 'We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments,' David Henkin, an Earthjustice attorney, said in a statement. 'Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input.' Designating the area in the Pacific to the south and west of the Hawaiian Islands as a monument provided 'needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth,' the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the 'cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests' of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous people of the Pacific. Johnston Atoll is the closest island in the monument to Hawaii, about 717 nautical miles west-southwest of the state. Kelleher writes for the Associated Press.
23-05-2025
- Politics
Environmentalists' lawsuit challenges Trump's order to allow commercial fishing in Pacific monument
HONOLULU -- Environmentalists are challenging in court President Donald Trump's executive order that they say strips core protections from the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and opens the area to harmful commercial fishing. On the same day of last month's proclamation allowing commercial fishing in the monument, Trump issued an order to boost the U.S. commercial fishing industry by peeling back regulations and opening up harvesting in previously protected areas. The monument was created by President George W. Bush in 2009 and consists of about 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square kilometers) in the central Pacific Ocean. President Barack Obama expanded the monument in 2014. A week after the April 17 proclamation, the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service sent a letter to fishing permit holders giving them a green light to fish commercially within the monument's boundaries, even though a long-standing fishing ban remains on the books, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Honolulu. The first longline fisher started fishing in the monument just three days after that letter, according to Earthjustice, which has been tracking vessel activity within the monument using Global Fishing Watch. The Department of Justice declined to comment Friday. The lawsuit noted that commercial longline fishing, an industrial method involving baited hooks from lines 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) or longer, will snag turtles, marine mammals or seabirds that are attracted to the bait or swim through the curtain of hooks. 'We will not stand by as the Trump administration unleashes highly destructive commercial fishing on some of the planet's most pristine, biodiverse marine environments,' David Henkin, an Earthjustice attorney, said in a statement. 'Piling lawlessness on top of lawlessness, the National Marine Fisheries Service chose to carry out President Trump's illegal proclamation by issuing its own illegal directive, with no public input.' Designating the area in the Pacific Ocean to the south and west of the Hawaiian islands as a monument provided 'needed protection to a wide variety of scientific and historical treasures in one of the most spectacular and unique ocean ecosystems on earth,' the lawsuit said. The lawsuit added that allowing commercial fishing in the monument expansion harms the 'cultural, spiritual, religious, subsistence, educational, recreational, and aesthetic interests' of a group of Native Hawaiian plaintiffs who are connected genealogically to the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific.
