A groundbreaking study that combines Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data and Artificial Intelligence has thrown new light on the number of vessels at sea. Astonishingly, the study reveals that around 75% of the world's industrial fishing vessels have previously been ‘dark’ to public tracking systems.
Not all boats are legally required to broadcast their position, but vessels not included in public monitoring systems, often termed ‘dark fleets’, can pose challenges for protecting and managing natural resources.
The graph shows at the top shows fishing vessels publicly tracked (blue) and not tracked (orange) in different regions during the 2017–2021 study period. The graph below shows transport and energy vessels.
Read full story: Sentinel-1 and AI reveal 75% of fishing vessels not tracked