Unfortunately, ships that disable their transponder pose risks not only to themselves, but also others - especially smaller vessels, which may not have transpon

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.