Global Fishing Watch launches major data upgrade for clearer picture of global fishing activity. In latest update, artificial intelligence and cutting-edge infrastructure changes will improve fishing estimates and vessel identification WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 21, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / - Global Fishing Watch today launched a major upgrade to the technology powering its global ocean mapping, combining next-generation artificial intelligence with enhanced geographic data to track fishing activity in unprecedented detail. The international nonprofit says the upgrade delivers its most accurate picture yet of human activity at sea, equipping governments, researchers and civil society with clearer data to monitor, protect and manage ocean resources. The upgrade, available as of Oct. 21, 2026 across Global Fishing Watch's public map, APIs and downloadable data products, introduces new AI models that improve how Global Fishing Watch distinguishes apparent fishing activity from other vessel movements and identifies different types of vessels at sea. Covering data spanning from 2012 to the present, the upgrade also provides a more precise view of global fishing activity, reducing instances in which vessels maneuvering near ports, slowing in speed or transiting across the water could be incorrectly identified as actively fishing. In addition, the upgrade also improves Global Fishing Watch's ability to correctly distinguish fishing vessels from other vessels. According to Paul Woods, chief innovation officer at Global Fishing Watch, this greater accuracy can have "beneficial real-world consequences." Governments regularly use Global Fishing Watch data to help monitor fishing fleets and marine protected areas, researchers use it to study fishing activity and its impacts and civil society organizations use it to investigate activity at sea. An improvement in the underlying data means those users can now focus their attention on the activity that matters and make decisions with greater confidence. "The ocean is vast, dynamic and extraordinarily difficult to monitor. Artificial intelligence allows us to make sense of billions of vessel positions and turn that raw data into a compelling picture of human activity at sea that simply wasn't possible a decade ago," said Woods. "This upgrade represents a major leap forward in that capability. The better we become at distinguishing actual fishing behavior from everything else happening at sea, the more useful that information becomes for governments, researchers and ocean stewards making decisions." A clearer picture of fishing at sea The new release represents the first major structural update to Global Fishing Watch's core AI models for estimating apparent fishing activity and classifying vessels since the organization was established. It incorporates years of research and user feedback to address known discrepancies and improve the accuracy of the data that governments, researchers and other users rely upon. The upgraded fishing model uses over 1000 expert reviewed examples of fishing for model training, new algorithm architecture and updated anchorages and geographic boundaries to more precisely determine whether a vessel is indeed fishing. This allows the system to better distinguish fishing behavior from vessels moving slowly in ports, sitting at anchor or simply transiting. As a result, users may see lower levels of apparent fishing activity in some places and an overall decrease in global estimates across both automatic identification system, or AIS, data and vessel monitoring system, or VMS, feeds. Hannah Linder, Global Fishing Watch's data ethics lead and one of the architects behind the data upgrade, notes that this reflects the removal of false positives that the previous model incorrectly identified as fishing. "When you improve the lens, the picture changes," said Linder. "The world hasn't suddenly started fishing less; we've developed a better way of distinguishing apparent fishing behavior from the enormous amount of other vessel activity happening at sea. Science advances by continually testing and improving what we know, and our commitment to transparency means making those improvements available to everyone." Smarter identification of vessels The release also upgrades the AI used to identify different types of vessels at sea. By examining vessel movement alongside information broadcast through AIS, the new model can more accurately determine whether a vessel is a fishing vessel, cargo ship, tanker or another vessel type. This improved analysis has allowed thousands of vessels to be more accurately classified between fishing and non-fishing categories. The identification of gear and drifting buoys in the water, previously a longstanding source of false positives for vessels, has also substantially improved. Against that backdrop, the improvements unveiled with the upgrade also extend beyond AI. Global Fishing Watch has incorporated more than 5,300 new anchorages across 13 countries, improving distance-to-port calculations and eliminating erroneous port visits. A new unified spatial grid standardizes information including distance from shore and from port while a new source of higher-resolution bathymetry improves estimates of ocean depth. New spatial datasets will also allow users to examine fishing activity alongside updated versions of Global Fishing Watch reference layers, including FAO Major Fishing Areas for Statistical Purposes, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Fisheries Restricted Areas, and the ProtectedSeas marine protected area database. Updating the record: transparency through 'evolving knowledge' Because the upgraded models have been applied retrospectively to data dating back to 2012, some historical estimates and vessel classifications will change. To help researchers, governments and other users understand those differences, Global Fishing Watch will provide access to both the previous and upgraded datasets for a limited time, allowing users to compare results and assess how the changes affect their analyses. Users can also easily flag potential issues right within Global Fishing Watch's built-in reporting tools. That feedback, together with local knowledge from partners around the world, will help inform the continued refinement of its models. Like any automated system, the upgraded models have limitations. Some vessels and apparent fishing activity may still be misclassified due to model biases or limits in available source data. Global Fishing Watch recommends that its data be used alongside official vessel registries, local intelligence and original tracking information when reaching definitive legal or regulatory conclusions. "Transparency isn't about pretending that data never changes. It's about being open about how it is produced, where its limitations lie and how it improves," continued Paul Woods. "As our technology gets better, so does our understanding of what is happening at sea. Making that evolving knowledge openly available is fundamental to our mission." Andrew Giacalone Global Fishing Watch [email protected] Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

Ai2 and Global Fishing Watch unite to bring AI agents to ocean monitoring. * Published September 23, 2026 Strategic partnership will bring next-generation AI and satellite analytics to ocean monitoring, advancing responsible AI through transparency and human oversight. NEW YORK, United States - Ai2, the nonprofit AI lab behind the Skylight maritime intelligence platform, and Global Fishing Watch, the international organization advancing ocean governance through transparency of human activity at sea, today announced a partnership to bring cutting-edge technology and AI agents to ocean monitoring and enforcement, giving authorities around the world new tools to detect, analyze and investigate activity at sea. Announced at Climate Week NYC 2026, the collaboration pairs Ai2's state-of-the-art AI models and Skylight's enforcement-tailored detection capabilities with Global Fishing Watch's mapping technology, ocean data and international experience supporting governments with fisheries monitoring and enforcement. Moving beyond complementary technologies to true co-development, the two organizations plan to integrate the latest satellite data, build new and real-time computer vision models and explore AI agents that fuse data sources to uncover patterns an analyst might otherwise miss. "AI is fundamentally changing how we access information about our ocean and the human activity that takes place on it," said Tony Long, chief executive officer of Global Fishing Watch. "But the technology's real value lies in its ability to get timely and actionable insights to those who can drive beneficial impact." Both organizations already build AI and work directly with maritime authorities. By combining forces, the two organizations are now seeking to scale their impacts, moving from distinct efforts to a unified detection pipeline, jointly developed AI models and a shared pool of maritime expertise. Transparency and human oversight will remain central to that work, with AI designed to support rather than replace human judgment. The technology can surface patterns and potential risks, while people determine what those signals mean and how to act on them. "We are at an inflection point in deciding how AI enters the ocean space," said Namrata Kolla, Head of Skylight. "Our maritime partners have made it clear that they care about having purpose-built AI where they own their own data, leverage open models, and decide what is the 'right' answer. Each step we take is pushing toward that vision." Scaling what works: from AI innovation to ocean action Global Fishing Watch and Ai2 have long collaborated, sharing data, building vessel registry resources together and working concertedly as part of the Joint Analytical Cell, a coalition that pools analysis to support fisheries enforcement. Most recently, in March 2026, Skylight's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite, or VIIRS, went live on the Global Fishing Watch map, showing near-real-time detections of vessel lights at night and giving users a fuller picture of ocean use. The next iteration of the partnership will co-develop AI agents like Shippy, Skylight's AI agent, to support enhanced analysis delivery. Rather than manually navigating datasets and analytical tools, users will now be able to ask about a vessel's history, activity or unusual patterns around a marine protected area or within a particular region. After the prompt, the agent will search the relevant data and return vessels, events and insights for further investigation. "By combining Ai2's technological expertise with our data, platforms and partnerships around the world, we can accelerate the journey from detection to decision," Long continued. "This will give governments, civil society and ocean stewards faster, more powerful ways to understand what is happening at sea and protect the resources under their care." The technical collaboration also extends beyond Shippy. Ai2 will make OlmoEarth available to Global Fishing Watch to support data annotation and model development, while the organizations will jointly develop machine learning models that can extract vessel detections and other insights from satellite imagery. Together, these capabilities will hasten the transformation of enormous volumes of raw ocean data into useful intelligence and support Global Fishing Watch's ambition to map all human activity across the ocean by 2030. In addition, Global Fishing Watch super users will now be able to craft a more immediate picture of the ocean as real-time vessel detections generated through Ai2's Skylight platform are integrated into the Global Fishing Watch marine manager portal. Faster access to ocean intelligence will help accelerate the monitoring, control and surveillance of suspected illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in marine protected areas and bolstering enforcement efforts. Building responsible AI for people and planet Against that backdrop, the two organizations will also inaugurate a series of in-depth conversations within the environment and technology communities to promote AI best practices. Rooted in principles of transparency and equitable access, and grounded in rigorous impact assessment, the conversations seek to ensure that open AI standards and shared tools remain trustworthy, accountable, and designed for the global public good. "Our goal isn't AI for AI's sake. Our focus is on using technology to make the ocean more visible and give decision-makers the critical information they need to ultimately enable better decisions and drive impact," added Namrata Kolla. " If we can make the extraordinary advances taking place in AI work for the ocean in an open and responsible way and with human oversight and at global scale, we can fundamentally change our ability to protect our planet's most valuable resource."

Global Fishing Watch launches first global blueprint to help governments strengthen vessel tracking. * Published September 10, 2026 The comprehensive guide offers more than 70 practical recommendations to leverage ocean transparency for better ocean governance. ROME, Italy - Global Fishing Watch, the international nonprofit advancing ocean governance through transparency of human activity at sea, today launched the Vessel Tracking Best Practices Guide - the first comprehensive framework designed to help governments strengthen vessel tracking systems, improve fisheries governance and combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Unveiled by María Soledad Tapia, national director of the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service of Chile, at the 37th Session of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's Committee on Fisheries (COFI), held in Rome, Italy, the guide provides governments and the fisheries sector with more than 70 practical recommendations for designing, operating and modernizing vessel tracking systems and bolstering ocean transparency efforts. According to Global Fishing Watch research, roughly 75 percent of the world's industrial fishing vessels are not publicly tracked through the automatic identification system (AIS). And while tracking technology such as the vessel monitoring system (VMS) has existed for decades, there is still no internationally recognized standard indicating how governments should use it. National approaches vary widely, creating gaps in effective monitoring, interoperability and enforcement and leading to a global system of vessel monitoring that remains fractured and disjointed. "The Vessel Tracking Best Practices Guide does more than help strengthen national systems," said Michele Kuruc, interim co-chief policy and program officer at Global Fishing Watch. "By identifying best practices, it advances a global conversation about greater harmonization of vessel tracking and recognizes that shared approaches can make cooperation, transparency and enforcement far more effective." Developed from years of global operations, expert contributions and Global Fishing Watch's vast experience actively monitoring more than 120,000 vessels worldwide, the guide offers a roadmap for governments seeking to strengthen existing systems without starting from scratch. "Vessels operate across maritime boundaries, but the regulatory requirements for tracking them remain largely fragmented. That creates operational bottlenecks - gaps in information precisely where cooperation is most important," Kuruc continued. "This guide gives governments a common foundation for strengthening their own systems while opening the door to greater alignment internationally. More consistent standards would make it easier to share data, strengthen oversight and ensure that vessels cannot exploit the gaps between jurisdictions." A "critical framework" for vessel tracking and ocean governance At its core, the new guide calls for a fundamental shift in how governments approach vessel tracking: from simply tracking vessels to building integrated systems that strengthen fisheries management, transparency and enforcement. Indeed, the guide underscores the need for a greater integration of AIS and VMS - the two principal technologies used to monitor fishing vessels. Developed primarily as a safety and collision-avoidance system, AIS openly broadcasts information about a vessel's identity, position, speed and course - and it is used by many large ships, including commercial fishing vessels. In contrast, VMS, which was designed specifically for fisheries management and regulatory oversight, has historically transmitted data through restricted channels. Rather than treating AIS and VMS as competing technologies, the guide recommends using both systems together, allowing authorities to cross-reference vessel identities and positions, identify inconsistencies and build a more complete and reliable picture of activity at sea. Moreover, for governments already operating VMS programs, integrating AIS can also provide a cost-effective way to expand tracking coverage and improve data quality without duplicating existing infrastructure. For Charles Kilgour, director of program initiatives at Global Fishing Watch, the value of vessel tracking extends well beyond fisheries enforcement. He notes that tracking data can support maritime security and search and rescue operations, help governments manage marine protected areas, strengthen seafood traceability and provide critical insights for labor, climate and biodiversity initiatives. "Effective vessel tracking isn't simply about putting a device on a vessel and watching a dot move across a map," Kilgour said. "It requires the technology, data, laws, financing and people behind those systems to work together. This guide gives governments a critical framework to make that transition, turning vessel tracking from a basic monitoring requirement into a powerful tool for greater ocean transparency and better ocean governance." Key recommendations for a new era in vessel tracking The Vessel Tracking Best Practices Guide follows the full lifecycle of a vessel tracking system - from establishing its purpose and technical architecture to securing sustainable financing and ensuring tracking data can support enforcement and withstand scrutiny in court. Its more than 70 recommendations cover: * Modern vessel tracking architecture * Sustainable financing models * Transparency and interoperability * Legal frameworks that enable successful prosecution * Integration of AIS and VMS * Artificial intelligence and automated analytics * Regional and international cooperation