The modern age has come to policing illegal fishing…a battle that’s pitched federal officials, lawmakers from American Samoa, and the other Pacific territories against those illegally depleting the ocean’s fisheries.
KHJ News Washington correspondent Matt Kaye reports—
A new satellite service is scanning the seas from space in search of illegal fishing activity.
The Washington Post reports that Global Fishing Watch, using Google-powered technology, monitors more than 35-thousand commercial fishing vessels with public broadcast data.
Governments, journalists and citizens can track the movement of boats, making it easier for nations with limited resources to apprehend fishermen illegally depleting the oceans.
Congresswoman Aumua Amata Radewagen, Guam Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, and CNMI Congressman Greg ‘Kilili’ Sablan spearheaded successful legislation last year to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
President Obama signed the IUU Fishing Enforcement Act in November.
Illegal fishing in Pacific Ocean waters accounts for a third of total catch from those fisheries…and leaves fewer migratory fish like tuna for US fisherman, who face added restrictions if stocks don’t recover.
The new law boosts US Coast Guard and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration powers to regulate illegal fishing.
It increases inspections and monitoring of illegal foreign vessels, and helps fight human trafficking associated with IUU fishing.
The bill amends several international agreements to include civil and criminal penalties, and broadens data sharing with foreign governments to identify and punish nations that violate fisheries management rules.
Radewagen, Bordallo and Sablan feel the law’s enactment sends a clear message, the United States will not tolerate these actions within US waters.
The Washington Post reports, the new satellite technology isn’t a perfect solution.
Some ships will shut their tracking services off. Still, Global Fishing Watch has seen some initial success.
The service tracks between 10,000 and 20,000 vessels each day.
