(MENAFN) A groundbreaking study conducted by Global Fishing Watch has unveiled the alarming extent of unregulated fishing activities at sea, posing significant challenges to global initiatives aimed at preserving dwindling fish stocks and marine environments. The research, which has mapped previously unreported activities at sea for the first time, reveals a concerning trend: approximately 75 percent of global ships operate without public tracking, thereby jeopardizing food security, livelihoods, and the overall health of marine ecosystems.

David Kroodsma, the director of research and innovation at Global Fishing Watch and a co-author of the study, likened the current state of oceanic oversight to the "Wild West," contrasting it with the meticulous tracking mechanisms employed for land-based extractive industries like agriculture. This glaring disparity in oversight means that governments and international organizations often operate in the dark, lacking comprehensive data to inform effective policymaking and enforcement. Such a deficiency impedes the realization of global commitments, such as those established at the Biodiversity Summit held concurrently with the 2022 World Climate Conference in Montreal. At this pivotal gathering, countries pledged to protect a minimum of 30 percent of both land and sea areas by the year 2030—a target that appears increasingly elusive without enhanced monitoring and regulatory measures.

Published recently in the esteemed journal Nature, the Global Fishing Watch study employed an intricate methodology, leveraging the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite imagery, and artificial intelligence technologies. These advanced tools facilitated the monitoring of hundreds of thousands of vessels navigating the world's oceans between 2017 and 2021. Astonishingly, the study's findings revealed that an average of 63,000 vessels were under observation at any given time, with approximately half categorized as industrial fishing vessels.

Alarmingly, three-quarters of these vessels operated without radar tracking capabilities, representing a significant blind spot in regions near Africa and South Asia. Furthermore, among the remaining vessels—including container ships, fuel tankers, passenger liners, and supply ships—one in four remained untracked, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced maritime surveillance and regulatory frameworks to safeguard our planet's precious marine ecosystems.

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