The Peruvian government has made a public commitment to make the nation's national vessel tracking data publicly available through Global Fishing Watch, which provides the first global view of commercial fishing* activity.
The commitment, which was announced at The Ocean Conference hosted by the United Nations in New York City, is the result of Oceana’s collaboration with the Peruvian government to increase transparency of commercial fishing in Peru’s waters.
Additionally, Indonesia made its vessel tracking data public and available for the first time through Global Fishing Watch. Anyone can now view Indonesia’s vessel tracking data here. Indonesia was the first country to commit to publish its vessel tracking data in Global Fishing Watch.
Global Fishing Watch uses public broadcast data from the Automatic Identification System (AIS), collected by satellite and terrestrial receivers, to show the movement of vessels over time. Global Fishing Watch uses this information to track vessel movement and classify it as “fishing” or “non-fishing” activity. While AIS is required for the largest vessels that catch a disproportionately large amount of fish, adding Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data, which is required by some governments, to the Global Fishing Watch platform will provide the world with an even clearer view of fishing activity on our oceans. Together, AIS and VMS data offer the most accurate and comprehensive dataset. The announcement today will improve the information available to governments, fishery managers, seafood suppliers and buyers, journalists, researchers, nonprofit organizations and citizens around the world.
Héctor Soldi, the Vice Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Peru’s Ministry of Production, stated that Peru has committed to join Global Fishing Watch as a demonstration of transparency. This technology platform, based on satellite data from fishing vessels to create a global vision of commercial fishing, enables anyone to follow fishing activity anywhere on the oceans. This is another demonstration of the Peruvian government’s commitment to fight illegal activities at sea and promote the sustainable use of the extraordinary marine productivity on our coastline. The Peruvian government intends to make the utmost effort to achieve the sustainable management of our fisheries in order to increase its contribution to nutrition and global food security.”
Patricia Majluf, the Vice President of Oceana Peru, added that Oceana has worked closely with the Peruvian government to convey the importance of transparency on our oceans, especially with regard to fishing activities. Everyone should have access to the most comprehensive data available to best manage our fisheries and protect our ocean resources. Combined with Peru’s vessel tracking data, Global Fishing Watch will offer an invaluable depiction of what is happening in our waters. This is a huge step for Peru to emerge as a world leader in promoting transparency at sea.
Funding partners for Global Fishing Watch include the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Marisla Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Wyss Foundation, The Waterloo Foundation and Adessium Foundation. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies and The Wyss Foundation are also funders of Oceana’s work in Peru.