In landmark year for ocean transparency, Global Fishing Watch maps entire industrial fishing fleet

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Building on these advances, the report also highlights the ongoing success of Global Fishing Watch’s marine manager portal, co-developed with Dona Bertarelli, as well as major improvements to the Vessel Viewer tool, designed to help authorities conduct due diligence and carry out operational planning. New vessel insight reports provide a detailed view of vessel identities, ownership histories and activity patterns, enabling fisheries managers to cross-reference vessels against regional illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing lists, identify suspicious tracking gaps and determine whether vessels have operated in restricted areas or waters where they lack authorization. A new automated group analysis feature further strengthens monitoring by allowing users to track up to 1,000 vessels simultaneously, streamlining fleet-wide surveillance and supporting faster, more informed enforcement decisions.

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At the same time, a 2025 analysis conducted in partnership with University of California, Santa Barbara’s Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) and Climate TRACE successfully mapped and estimated the carbon emissions of large industrial vessels for the first time, revealing that industrial vessels emitted around 1.3 billion tons of CO2 in 2023, or about 3 percent of global fossil fuel emissions, and underscoring the growing role Global Fishing Watch tools play in examining human activity’s impact on the environment. 

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“Last year marked remarkable progress for Global Fishing Watch’s innovation team as we continue to push the boundaries of technology and transparency,” said Paul Woods, chief innovation officer and co-founder of Global Fishing Watch. “By advancing satellite analysis and machine learning, we’re transforming how the world sees activity at sea. Better data means stronger enforcement, smarter decisions and a more sustainable ocean.”

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Championing transparency: from the U.N. to enhanced marine protections

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Against this backdrop, the report also highlights Global Fishing Watch’s growing influence in shaping international ocean policy. In July, the international policy team helped secure explicit language calling for greater transparency in the official outcome document of the U.N. Ocean Conference in Nice, France. This achievement builds on the organization’s 2024 success at the United Nations in New York, where transparency was recognized as a core principle of ocean governance through the U.N. Sustainable Fisheries Resolution.

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Across the global stage, Global Fishing Watch continued to deepen partnerships with national governments to strengthen oversight of fishing activity. In Brazil, a reinforced collaboration with national authorities resulted in a comprehensive work plan aimed at combating illegal fishing, improving transparency and strengthening monitoring and control of fishing activities. In Chile, the organization’s work with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service helped enable a groundbreaking government resolution authorizing citizen surveillance of the Juan Fernández Islands’ marine protected areas, significantly expanding the reach of official oversight. Meanwhile, a new partnership with the government of Gabon is now laying the groundwork for closer cooperation on monitoring, control and surveillance of the country’s vast marine resources through enhanced data sharing.

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Expanding global reach through strategic partnerships

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In a similar vein, the report also underscores Global Fishing Watch’s growing network of partnerships and how they help the organization accelerate the development of new tools to illuminate human activity at sea. According to Global Fishing Watch chief executive officer Tony Long, partnerships remain “central to expanding transparency across the ocean.”

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Collaboration is also driving new transparency tools for emerging ocean industries. In December, the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory launched Deep-Sea Mining Watch, an open-access portal powered by Global Fishing Watch technology that tracks vessels involved in deep-sea mineral exploration. By bringing vessel tracking data to one of the ocean’s newest and most controversial industries, the platform helps shed light on activity in the deep ocean and supports greater transparency around its potential impacts on fisheries and marine ecosystems. 

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“The past year was integral to achieving Global Fishing Watch’s vision for a transparent future for our ocean. As we continue work in 2026, our focus remains steady even as our ambition grows,” Long continued. “By expanding the reach of our technology and deepening our global partnerships, we are empowering the stewards of our seas with the tools they need to act. Together, we are driving a decisive and necessary shift from opacity to accountability across the global ocean.”

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