Interesting article on that 75% of the industrial fishing fleet is hidden

[Alicatt]

Was reading a report today about how using satellites they have shown that 75% of industrial fishing boats (boats greater than 20m) are hidden and that 25% of transport and energy vessels are unreported, that sounds like a huge unrecognised fleet of ships plying their trade on the high seas.
Some very interesting pictures on how much the waters around the UK and the EU and the world are in use:



Satellites reveal 75% of world's industrial fishing vessels are 'hidden'

Satellite Radar Imagery Helps Reveal the True Scale of Hidden Fishing

Follow the link at the bottom of the www.space.com article which will allow the full article to be read in Nature, if you go direct to Nature it requires you to subscribe to be able to read it.

 

[Alicatt]

One of the things I remember working with the fishing boats and their skippers, they did not want anyone knowing where they were fishing if they had found a good mark, it was all deception in keeping the other boats in the dark once you had a good track to shoot your nets.
So I am one that is not surprised that a lot of fishing boats turn off AIS etc. when out fishing.

 

[Minerva]

I have noted very few fishing boats with AIS turned on - I keep some cash on board so that we can hail a pot boat on the radio to buy some shellfish from them when in sheltered water. Very, very rarely do they have any AIS on to get their name from.

 

[Alicatt]

I have noted very few fishing boats with AIS turned on - I keep some cash on board so that we can hail a pot boat on the radio to buy some shellfish from them when in sheltered water. Very, very rarely do they have any AIS on to get their name from.

Wasn't having AIS on the fishing boat one of the conditions for the boats between France and UK after the B word happened?

 

[Minerva]

Wasn't having AIS on the fishing boat one of the conditions for the boats between France and UK after the B word happened?

Pass - I sail 400 miles further north than La Manche!

 

[Alicatt]

Pass - I sail 400 miles further north than La Manche!

Myself it was the Pentland Firth and the North Sea, now the canals and inland waterways of the EU

 

[Greg2]

An interesting report.

Illegal, un-reported and un-regulated fishing is a major problem that poses a very real threat to eco-systems and stock sustainability.

As the articles describe, the problem is primarily in other parts of the world - EU and U.K. fishing vessels 15m and over are required to have AIS fitted and operating and vessels over 12m must also have an approved Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) installed and operating. English fishing vessels less than 12m will require inshore VMS installed and operating later this year.

Obviously AIS can be seen by anyone but VMS is only available to fisheries regulators.
.

 

[WoodyP]

Having had to deal with the fishing industry in my work life l believe nothing that they say in respect of legality. It is a totally exploitative industry with little thought of the future. I am sure that there are some who act differently, but they're damn few.

 

[Alicatt]

Having had to deal with the fishing industry in my work life l believe nothing that they say in respect of legality. It is a totally exploitative industry with little thought of the future. I am sure that there are some who act differently, but they're damn few.

It's been almost 50 years since I worked with the fishing sector, I don't think anything has changed, other than the concentrating of the quotas on to fewer and fewer vessels.
It was the reduction of the fleet that forced our office to close and leave one engineer working from home from the four of us that used to work in Scrabster.