Field NotesWhat we're learning about AI and the environment

A learning from Global Fishing Watch: mapping hidden fishing fleets from space, Global Fishing Watch, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Surprise

About 75% of industrial fishing vessels were invisible to public tracking

⚠ Not yet claimed by the project owner or their organization. This information may not be completely accurate.

From public sources: comparing satellite images from 2017 to 2021 with ship-tracking broadcasts, the team found about 75% of industrial fishing vessels and over 25% of transport and energy vessels were missing from public tracking. Not all boats are legally required to broadcast, so 'hidden' does not always mean illegal.

Track
AI for the environment
Environmental problem
OceansBiodiversity and species
Environmental goal
Understand and monitorProtect species and habitats
Setting
Ocean
AI's role
Core
What the AI does
Making sense of sensor dataRecognizing images
ML technique
Computer vision
Scale
Global

Shared 28 Oct 2026 by Field Notes curator (public sources).

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