AI system
- System
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Global Fishing Watch (AIS-based fishing detection using machine learning)
- Model
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Not assessed
- Release
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Not assessed
- Application developer
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Oceana, SkyTruth and
Google - Role
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Not assessed
- Configuration
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Not assessed
- Inputs and outputs
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Not assessed
- Autonomy
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Not assessed
- Workflow
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A vessel broadcasting AIS inside a no-take area that Kiribati closed to commercial fishing from 1 January 2015. A government willing to prosecute on third-party satellite-derived evidence.
- Human oversight
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Not assessed
- Relation to AI
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An independent newspaper confirms that Kiribati used the platform to document the illegal operation. Oceana describes the platform's fishing detection as machine learning over AIS data. No cited source says whether the classifier's output, as opposed to the vessel's track, carried the case. Developer (Oceana, SkyTruth, Google) and deployer (Kiribati) are distinct.
- AI contribution
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An independent newspaper confirms that Kiribati used the platform to document the illegal operation. Oceana describes the platform's fishing detection as machine learning over AIS data. No cited source says whether the classifier's output, as opposed to the vessel's track, carried the case. Developer (Oceana, SkyTruth, Google) and deployer (Kiribati) are distinct.
Benefits
- Outcome identifiers
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Not assessed
- Benefit
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a US$1 million fine plus a US$1 million goodwill grant followed
- Category
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Reduced Violence
- Status
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Not assessed
- Beneficiary groups
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Organizations. Society.
- Beneficiaries
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Not assessed
- Reach
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Not assessed
- Distribution and access
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Not assessed
- Duration
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Not assessed
- Expected?
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Yes
- Costs and harms
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Not assessed
Measurement
- Studies
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Not assessed
- Study design
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Not assessed
- Measurement
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Not assessed
- Setting and sample
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Not assessed
- Measures
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a US$1 million fine plus a US$1 million goodwill grant followed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Results
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a US$1 million fine plus a US$1 million goodwill grant followed
- Additional value from AI
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Not assessed
- Limitations
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Not assessed
- Denominators
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Not assessed
- Materials for replication
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Not assessed
Money
- Kind of value
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fine secured by Kiribati against the owner of Marshalls 203 for fishing illegally in the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, plus an additional $1 million paid as a grant under a goodwill arrangement
- Amount
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$1 million
- Currency and prices
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Not assessed
- Period and unit
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Not assessed
- Realization
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Not assessed
- Recipients and payers
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Government of Kiribati
- Gross or net
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Not assessed
- Included costs
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Not assessed
- Comparison
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Not assessed
- Method
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Not assessed
- Return and payback
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Not assessed
People and places
- Participants
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Developer: Oceana, SkyTruth and
Google. Operator: Government of Kiribati. - Jurisdictions
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Benefit: Phoenix Islands Protected Area,
Kiribati. Developer: 
United States. Operator: Kiribati. - Ownership and control
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Not assessed
- Dependencies
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Not assessed
- Cross-border connections
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Not assessed
- Geopolitical implications
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Not assessed
Follow-up
- Conditions for replication
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AIS transmitters left on (the BBC piece notes vessels can switch them off). Admissibility of AIS-derived evidence under the coastal state's law.
- Replication attempts
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1 follow-up entries. Outcome unresolved: 1.
- Later findings
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7 June 2017. In June 2017 Indonesia became the first country to publish its proprietary vessel monitoring system data through Global Fishing Watch, adding nearly 5,000 vessels to the platform, with Peru announcing it would follow.
- Availability
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Not assessed
- Institutional decision
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Not assessed
- Grounds
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Not assessed
- Action and result
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Not assessed
- Success criterion
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Not assessed
Evidence
- Source numbers
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AIBD-0196-source-0001–0004
- Citations
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Numbered references below.
- Language
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Not assessed
- Source relationships
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Independent, Developer
- Original evidence
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Not assessed
- Access and versions
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Not assessed
- Supported findings
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Not assessed
- Evidence links
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Not assessed
- Evidence strength
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Not assessed
- Missing evidence
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Not assessed
Grades
- Assessed benefits
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Organizations. Society.
- Depth
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Organizations: 3. Society: Not assessed.
- Reasons
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Organizations: Kiribati secured a US$1 million fine against Central Pacific Fishing Company plus a US$1 million goodwill grant (Grist). The BBC piece puts the total at US$2 million, about 1% of the country's GDP. Society: No source documents subsequent fishing pressure or deterrence inside the protected area.
- Observed or intended
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Not assessed
- Rubric
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Not assessed
- Assessor and date
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Not assessed
- Alternative assessments
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Not assessed
- Fill
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Independently reported
Entry details
- Kind
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Not assessed
- Related entries
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Not assessed
- Field
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Fisheries enforcement. Marine protected area enforcement.
- Purpose
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Make commercial fishing activity visible in near real time by processing AIS vessel tracks to identify when vessels are fishing.
- Dates
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Date basis unassessed: 2016 (precision unassessed). Updated: 21 October 2026.
- Stage
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Not assessed
- Version
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SHA-256: d51c291149da…
References
- Other identifiers
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Not assessed
- Category mappings
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Not assessed
- Brief
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Not assessed
- Revisions
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5 revisions. Latest: 21 October 2026.
Sources
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News report Independent author
Dennis B. How Google is helping to crack down on illegal fishing - from space. The Washington Post, 15 September 2016.
The government of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati used it to document how a tuna-fishing vessel had operated illegally inside the Phoenix Islands Protected Area
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News report Developer
Danson T. This new digital tool can help fight overfishing around the world. Grist, 15 September 2016 (author is an Oceana board member).
This helped the country secure a $1 million fine against the Central Pacific Fishing Company, the owner of Marshalls 203.
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News report Developer
Savitz J. How to spot the secretive activities of rogue fishing boats. BBC Future, 7 June 2018 (author is Oceana's chief policy officer for North America).
Then we run them all through the Global Fishing Watch algorithm, and use machine learning and cloud computing to identify when they are fishing.
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Press release Developer
Cutlip K. Indonesia Makes its Fishing Fleet Visible to the World. Global Fishing Watch, 7 June 2017.