fbpx

Human Progress Logo Human Progress

01 / 05
How AI is being used to prevent illegal fishing

BBC | Conservation & Biodiversity

How AI is being used to prevent illegal fishing

“Global Fishing Watch was co-founded by Google, marine conservation body Oceana, and environmental group SkyTruth. The latter studies satellite images to spot environmental damage.

To try to better monitor and quantify the problem of overfishing, Global Fishing Watch is now using increasingly sophisticated AI software, and satellite imagery, to globally map the movements of more than 65,000 commercial fishing vessels, both those with – and without – AIS.

The AI analyses millions of gigabytes of satellite imagery to detect vessels and offshore infrastructure. It then looks at publicly accessible data from ships’ AIS signals, and combines this with radar and optical imagery to identify vessels that fail to broadcast their positions.”

From BBC.

Associated Press | Conservation & Biodiversity

Number of Fish on US Overfishing List Reaches All-Time Low

“The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released an updated analysis of American fisheries late last week via its annual ‘Status of the Stocks’ report, which provides an assessment of the populations of the seafood species fishermen catch and customers buy. The report states that 94% of fish stocks are not subject to overfishing, which is slightly better than a year ago.

The U.S. was able to remove several important fish stocks from the overfishing list, NOAA said in a statement. They include the Gulf of Maine and Cape Hatteras stock of Atlantic mackerel and the Gulf of Mexico stock of cubera snapper.”

From Associated Press.

The Guardian | Conservation & Biodiversity

Researchers Hear Whale Songs That Hint at Antarctic Resurgence

“Centuries of industrial whaling left only a few hundred Antarctic blue whales alive, making it almost impossible to find them in the wild.

New research suggests the population may be recovering. Australian scientists and international colleagues spent two decades listening for their distinctive songs and calls, and have found the whales – the largest animals ever to have lived – swimming across the Southern Ocean with growing regularity.”

From The Guardian.

BBC | Conservation & Biodiversity

Conservation Slowing Biodiversity Loss, Scientists Say

“In the first study of its kind, published in the journal Science, scientists from dozens of research institutes reviewed 665 trials of conservation measures, some from as far back as 1890, in different countries and oceans and across species types, and found they had had a positive effect in two out of every three cases.

Co-author Dr Penny Langhammer, executive vice-president of environment charity Re:wild, told BBC News: ‘If you read the headlines about extinction these days, it would be easy to get the impression that we are failing biodiversity – but that’s not really looking at the whole picture.

‘This study provides the strongest evidence to date that not only does conservation improve the state of biodiversity and slow its decline, but when it works, it really works.'”

From BBC.

The Guardian | Conservation & Biodiversity

Longest Creature Ever Seen Found on Undersea Peaks off South America

“Squat lobsters, bright red sea toads and deep-sea dragon fish were among more than 160 species never previously seen in the region that were spotted on a recent expedition exploring an underwater mountain range off the coast of South America. Researchers from the California-based Schmidt Ocean Institute believe that at least 50 of those species are likely to be new to science.”

From The Guardian.