RADARSAT satellite data helps monitor and act against illegal fishing

Uploaded on June 5, 2020

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RADARSAT satellite data helps monitor and act against illegal fishing

2020-06-05 – According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, globally, illegal fishing deprives the oceans of 26 million tonnes of seafood per year, equal to US$23B of economic loss. Fisheries and Oceans Canada uses RADARSAT satellite data to help monitor and act against illegal fishing, helping protect up to 75,000 people employed in Canada's fishing industry, and many more around the world. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Armed Forces / Department of National Defence)

Narrator: Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing not only robs the world’s oceans of 26 million tonnes of seafood annually, bringing financial losses to a staggering 23 billion U.S. dollars a year, but it also severely affects the livelihoods of fishers.

RADARSAT satellite imagery helps combat illegal fishing and protect marine biodiversity.

Sean Wheeler: My name is Sean Wheeler with the Conservation and Protection Program of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

We use RADARSAT to support our efforts in combatting illegal fishing around the world. RADARSAT gives us the ability to see beyond the horizon and see vessels that don’t necessarily want to be seen. 

We deployed our own fishery officers to the South Pacific to support the United States Coast Guard and the Fijians with their patrols of the South Pacific Island nations. RADARSAT led the way by detecting vessels and where the fleets are active to help plan our patrols and deploy resources effectively.

Narrator: Fisheries and Oceans Canada uses Earth observation data to help monitor and act against illegal fishing in Canada and around the world. By doing so, it helps protect the jobs of some 75,000 Canadians who rely on legal fishing and fishing-related activities for their livelihood. 

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