Approaches for strengthening fisheries compliance in Chile

Modern satellite technologies can provide real-time information on a fishing vessel’s location, serving as an important tool to help governments address illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing at sea. Based on satellite data and expert surveys, the Center for Ocean Solutions has mapped potential indicators of IUU fishing at a global scale, but conducting similar analyses at a national level is challenging for several reasons. 

Industrial vessels are required to carry Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to broadcast their movements on the high seas via satellite, but the system is rarely required of fleets operating within a country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). This coastal zone can extend up to 200 nautical miles from shore, and is where more than 90% of the world’s fishing vessels operate.

Many industrial and artisanal vessels fishing within a given country’s EEZ use a different type of satellite technology, called a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), that records their identity and location. VMS data is only visible to the country’s government where a given vessel is registered, unless the government agrees to share it. Depending on the country, artisanal boats under a specified length are not required to use any tracking technology, but may need to report the amount of catch they have upon arrival in port. The complexity of tracking vessels across these systems makes it difficult for governments to know where IUU risks may be greatest in their own waters. 

Chile is leading efforts to increase fisheries transparency by making its VMS data visible on platforms like Global Fishing Watch and through government agreements for research purposes. The Center for Ocean Solutions, Chile’s National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), and the Millennium Institute in Coastal Socio-Ecology are working to identify potential indicators of IUU fishing, such as vessel behavior and ports used, and analyze how they vary across regions and fisheries. The team is focused on three fisheries: Chilean seabass (Dissostichus eleginoides), Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi), and small pelagics like sardines (Strangomera bentincki) and anchovies (Engraulis ringens). 

Using the project’s results, Sernapesca can determine how to adapt enforcement strategies to be more responsive to risks and allocate resources cost-effectively. The analytical approach used in this project may also offer a valuable model for other countries navigating enforcement challenges of similar scope and complexity.