The Nereus Program presented at the Global Fishing Watch Research Workshop on June 6th and 7th at Google’s offices in San Francisco, California, United States.

Global Fishing Watch is a technology-based partnership that started between digital mapping non-profit SkyTruth, oceans advocacy foundation Oceana, and Google’s Google Earth Outreach program, “designed to show all of the trackable fishing activity in the ocean” via an interactive web tool. With the goal of combating fisheries decline, the project will “reveal the intensity of fishing effort around the world” and help citizens hold world leaders accountable for the maintenance of an abundant ocean.

In attendance were Nereus Director (Policy) Yoshitaka Ota, Director (Science) William Cheung, Program Manager Wilf Swartz, PI Pat Halpin, and Nereus Fellows Gabriel Reygondeau (UBC), Daniel Dunn (Duke) and Guillermo Ortuño Crespo (Duke).

The partnership held the workshop with the aim to coordinate efforts across its research program, particularly the research’s policy implications, by identifying high conservation impact research projects and their potential bearing on policy. The workshop also served as an opportunity for participants to share relevant data, research methods, and tools, as well as discuss future collaborations.

The two-day itinerary included discussions and presentations on the AIS Fishing Algorithm, challenges around vessel identification and registration, pressures acting on marine environment in ABNJ (Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) and within national jurisdiction, and environmental drivers of fishing efforts.