Overfishing. Ocean Poaching – Fishermen under the Eye of Satellites and AI
By Marek GrzybowskiIllegal fishing poses a significant threat to the survival of many fish species. Unfortunately, it is also a way of life and survival for many fishermen and recipients of fish from poachers. Many governments and services turn a blind eye to fishing poaching. Such short-sighted policies are pursued by a large group of countries. Holes in the protection of marine resources are like meshes in fishing nets, according to the Windward report.
Today, using satellite technologies and tools based on artificial intelligence, it is possible to identify and determine what damage marine poaching causes to the global and local economy. Windward used its tools, satellite technologies and AI to determine the scale of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Monitoring of fishing vessels. Source: Chris Arsenault, Philippe Le Billon, To fight illegal fishing in the Galapagos, Ecuador turns to Canadian satellite and sensing technology CBC News
The Windward report contains data obtained thanks to the latest technologies and publishes it in a special report. Its task is not only to present the phenomenon of poaching in fishing. The authors of the study also set themselves the goal of disseminating knowledge and increasing the level of awareness in society. It is also about helping to organize the protection of resources in the exclusive economic zone. Knowledge of legal restrictions that hinder the protection of resources located in the seas and oceans is also important.
The scale of the phenomenon is evidenced by the fact that when analyzing catches only in the Pacific Ocean over a short period of time, poaching was identified on a massive scale. Observing fishing on a randomly selected date in April 2022, Windward observers report, “we identified more than 2,000 Chinese fishing vessels that were conducting fishing operations in the Pacific Ocean, outside China’s exclusive economic zone.”
Windward’s Maritime AITM technology was used to identify “hot zones” and quantify illegal fishing. Fishermen do not operate alone. They have support from a variety of vessels. With shipowners accepting illegally caught seafood on board, it is harder to reveal the source of the fish.
Because the trade in illegally caught fish and seafood is difficult to detect. By carefully tracking the routes of IUU fish, we have also identified hubs that support these fleets and vessels of fishermen fishing outside the economic zones.
Illegal fishing as a threat for the ocean life
– IUU fishing has replaced piracy as the leading global threat to maritime security. If IUU fishing continues unchecked, we can expect fragile coastal states to deteriorate and tensions between foreign fishing nations to increase, threatening geopolitical stability around the world, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a 2020 advisory.
About 11-19% of reported global fisheries production comes from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, leading to losses of between $10 billion and $23.5 billion, according to Windward, according to the World Wide Fund (WWF) for Nature. The EU IUU Fishing Coalition says nearly 30% of global fisheries are overexploited, and more than 60% are already fully exploited.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) states that IUU fishing has “the potential to undermine national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fisheries resources, and consequently hamper progress towards achieving long-term sustainability and accountability.”
Of course, the phenomenon of illegal fishing is often public knowledge. So why is it not being curbed? The IMO states directly that “IUU fishing exploits corruption and weak governance systems.” The economic impact is also predictable. The IMO warns that “IUU fishing threatens marine biodiversity, livelihoods, deepens poverty and increases food insecurity.” Therefore, this risk-aware international community “continues to focus on IUU fishing as a serious problem for the global fishing industry, which negatively impacts safety, environmental issues, conservation and sustainable development.”
There are other phenomena and threats identified in the case of fish poaching. IUU vessels and their crews are often used to promote power struggles between leading nations, as well as for criminal activities – such as forced labor, smuggling, pollution, and establishing a permanent presence despite seasonal restrictions.
“Hunting” for overfishing vessels
Windward’s Maritime AI™ Technology is used to identify illegal fleets and illegal fishing. “Our IUU behavioral model was created by examining known IUU fishing incidents, analyzing the behavioral components, and then taking commonly recurring indicators and using them to build an AI behavioral model,” Windward explains. “For example, ship-to-ship operations are not uncommon, but most of them take place close to shore. STS operations far from shore, with vessel classes and additional behavioral indicators, are often a sign of covert/illegal behavior,” Windward says.
Locations of Chinese fishing vessels operating in the Pacific Ocean, in and around China’s exclusive economic zone, April 3, 2022. Source: Windward, 2025
Who is most likely to engage in illegal fishing in the Pacific Ocean? Observations of fishing vessels that Windward models as likely to engage in IUU fishing show that 53% of fishing vessels are PRC-flagged, while 22% are Taiwan-flagged.
For example, on April 3, 2022 alone, Windward identified over 2,000 Chinese fishing vessels operating outside China’s exclusive economic zone.
– After cross-referencing WCPFC records, IATTC databases, and SPRFMO, we found that the vessels listed there represent only 75% of the total number of Chinese fishing vessels operating in the Pacific Ocean at any given time. This suggests that at least 25% of Chinese vessels in the Pacific are likely operating without a permit. This is just one fishing area; how many more are there? Windward asks.
Mapping the Hot Zones
Hot zones are areas identified by Windward’s IUU behavioral model as concentrations of activity for long-distance fishing fleets. How do hot zones develop and why are they important?
First, it’s important to recognize that seafood is a valuable and lucrative resource worldwide. The global seafood market is expected to reach $138.7 billion by 2027. Seasonality is also a significant factor in IUU fishing activity. This is because “migration and weather patterns play a disproportionately large role in determining where fishing vessels are poached.”
“It’s become clear over the past few years that IUU fishing is about more than just fish,” Windward says. This is because regulation also facilitates poaching. For example, China claims “historical rights” in neighboring exclusive economic zones. Under this pretext, it expands its influence into other waters, establishing footholds that make it easier for fishermen to penetrate waters outside China’s economic zone.
Stanford University researchers noted this and published their research in April 2022 in the journal Nature Communications. They identified regions and ports with the highest risk of labor abuses and illegal fishing. They stated: “Of the more than 750 ports assessed worldwide, more than half are associated with the risk of labor abuses or IUU fishing.”
Percentage of IUU fishing incidents by risk zone, July 2021-June 2022. Source: Windward, 2025
Based on empirical observations, they conclude: “For fishing vessels, coastal regions off West Africa, Peru, the Azores, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands had a higher risk of labor abuse and IUU fishing. The study also found that vessels registered in countries with weak corruption controls, vessels belonging to countries other than the flag state, and vessels registered in China have a higher activity and propensity to engage in illegal activities.”
These conclusions are confirmed by Windward’s AI models and technology. The conclusions and results of the study overlap particularly with regard to “hot zones” where IUU fishing takes place.
Identification of IUU support centers
Identification of illegal fishing is hampered by the activities of support fleets. Long-distance fishing fleets require supply vessels and tankers. The former collect illegally caught fish and seafood and deliver them to ports. Using Maritime AITM, Windward observers identified support centres near illegal fishing zones that are used to optimise these operations.
For example, when there was no transhipment of catch at sea, 41.5% of fishing fleets likely to have engaged in IUU fishing sailed to China or Taiwan, 10.7% sailed to Mauritius and 3.4% sailed to Uruguay.
IUU fishing supply chain between Windward-identified IUU risk zones and support hubs, as well as China and Taiwan. Source: Windward, 2025
Both Mauritius and Uruguay were found to operate as support hubs for Chinese distant-water fishing fleets, along with Peru and Fiji. These hubs are key to the geopolitical goals of the countries that are mostly responsible for IUU fishing. Without support hubs for illegal fishing fleets, geographic and seasonal restrictions would severely limit the survival of fishermen who make a living from illegal fishing.
Chinese vessels fish year-round, regardless of season, and use the support hubs to stay in business. “If this continues unabated or accelerates, it could disrupt the fragile international order,” Windward analysts note.
– China’s illegal fishing is a source of geopolitical conflicts around the world – wrote Jill Goldenziel, a professor at the National Defense University – College of Information and Cyberspace and a consultant on law, leadership, security and geopolitical risk, in the pages of “Forbes”.
The “use of fishing vessels to operate in legal disputes and to project power” is particularly dangerous – emphasizes Professor Jill Goldenziel, warning: “If China’s IUU fishing goes unchecked, coastal states will be weakened by environmental damage, leading to further instability.”
That is why governments must go beyond just looking at illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and start addressing the threats that poaching poses in the oceans.