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> The group behind this work tracked fishing craft worldwide using global, publicly available data from systems vessels employ to communicate their locations wi

> The group behind this work tracked fishing craft worldwide using global, publicly available data from systems vessels employ to communicate their locations with one another. Whereas the data has its limitations—it only tracks craft of a certain size, and boats can turn off their communications Are the systems the article is referring to AIS transponders [1]? If so, we should probably use caution in cracking down on transshipping of illegal catches - incentivizing vessels to turn off their transponders may pose safety risks. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Identification_System https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Identification_Syste...

darkerside 8y ago
It's hard to say they deserve what they get if they choose to go dark to support their illegal fishing activities, but... they sure do deserve it at least a _little_ bit more. Failing to use this data because of the fear they might take steps to hide it, and thereby self endanger, is 1) an appeal to possibility, and 2) an inappropriate casting of blame if it does happen.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  > Failing to use this data because of the fear they might take steps to hide it, and thereby self endanger, is 1) an appeal to possibility, and 2) an inappropriate casting of blame if it does happen. I think the worry here is that they'll endanger others by going around with transponders off.
- larkeith 8y ago
  Unfortunately, ships that disable their transponder pose risks not only to themselves, but also others - especially smaller vessels, which may not have transponders of their own. However, I agree that this data is valuable and should probably be used; I merely espouse caution in how we apply it, as there may be ways to use it without posing undue danger for fishermen, or alternate lower risk data sources (such as the satellite analysis mentioned in the article). There is relatively little cost in putting together a risk analysis prior to implementing any policies or law enforcement strategies from these analyses.

darkerside 8y ago

It's hard to say they deserve what they get if they choose to go dark to support their illegal fishing activities, but... they sure do deserve it at least a _little_ bit more. Failing to use this data because of the fear they might take steps to hide it, and thereby self endanger, is 1) an appeal to possibility, and 2) an inappropriate casting of blame if it does happen.

TeMPOraL 8y ago
> Failing to use this data because of the fear they might take steps to hide it, and thereby self endanger, is 1) an appeal to possibility, and 2) an inappropriate casting of blame if it does happen. I think the worry here is that they'll endanger others by going around with transponders off.
larkeith 8y ago
Unfortunately, ships that disable their transponder pose risks not only to themselves, but also others - especially smaller vessels, which may not have transponders of their own. However, I agree that this data is valuable and should probably be used; I merely espouse caution in how we apply it, as there may be ways to use it without posing undue danger for fishermen, or alternate lower risk data sources (such as the satellite analysis mentioned in the article). There is relatively little cost in putting together a risk analysis prior to implementing any policies or law enforcement strategies from these analyses.