Guinée-Bissau Navires-Usines AIS Bijagos: New Partnership Boosts Surveillance

• Investigations reveal factory ships near Guinée-Bissau's archipel des Bijagos routinely disable AIS when approaching marine protected areas.
• West African waters account for 20% of global illicit fishing, posing a critical threat to coastal communities.
• The CSRP and Global Fishing Watch have partnered to enhance surveillance of industrial fleets using shared data, AIS, VMS, and satellite imagery.
• Advanced tools, including deep learning, are now used to identify 'dark' vessels that do not transmit position signals.
• This enhanced surveillance satellitaire pêche Afrique Ouest significantly increases the risk of detection for illegal fishing activities.

The ability to detect and track vessels, even those attempting désactivation AIS navires pêche, is improving dramatically, making it increasingly difficult for illegal operators to evade capture.

Recent investigations in Guinée-Bissau have brought to light concerning practices by factory ships, known as navires-usines, operating in proximity to the sensitive archipel des Bijagos. These vessels have been observed to routinely disable their Automatic Identification System (AIS) when nearing designated marine protected areas, a tactic often associated with efforts to obscure illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

Such actions contribute to the broader challenge of pêche illicite Guinée-Bissau faces, where vessels deliberately switch off their tracking signals or enter restricted zones to avoid detection. The catches from these operations are primarily channeled into the production of fishmeal and fish oil, diverting vital marine resources that are essential for the sustenance and economic well-being of local coastal communities. This specific issue in the Bijagos region underscores a critical problem across West Africa, where maritime spaces are continuously subjected to incursions by non-compliant vessels.

In response to the escalating threat of IUU fishing, which accounts for an estimated 20% of the global total concentrated in West African waters, a significant collaborative effort is underway. The Commission sous-régionale des pêches (CSRP) and Global Fishing Watch have forged a new partnership, announced in Dakar, aimed at substantially enhancing the surveillance of industrial fishing fleets within the waters of their member states.

This CSRP Global Fishing Watch partenariat facilitates the sharing of crucial data and advanced analytical tools. Fisheries authorities across the seven participating nations will now be able to cross-reference satellite information with signals from both AIS and Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS). By meticulously analyzing vessel trajectories, this regional coordination seeks to identify suspicious behaviors, including illicit transshipments at sea, thereby bolstering the defense of vulnerable maritime areas.

Further augmenting this capability, tools developed by Capmad integrate vessel tracking data with sophisticated models that estimate fishing activity based on factors like speed, movement patterns, and the type of gear deployed. Additionally, deep learning models are employed to analyze radar and optical images, specifically designed to pinpoint 'dark' vessels – those that intentionally do not transmit position signals.

The regional initiative extends to practical application, with Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cape Verde already piloting a program, supported by the World Bank, to cross-reference satellite radar imagery with AIS and VMS data.

The combined effect of these technological advancements and regional partnerships, such as the CSRP Global Fishing Watch initiative and the West Africa Task Force (which includes Stop Illegal Fishing and TM-Tracking), significantly raises the stakes for any entity involved in pêche illicite Guinée-Bissau or elsewhere in the region. The ability to detect and track vessels, even those attempting désactivation AIS navires pêche, is improving dramatically, making it increasingly difficult for illegal operators to evade capture. This enhanced surveillance satellitaire pêche Afrique Ouest represents a critical shift in maritime enforcement. The pressure on West African coasts from illegal fishing has reached a critical threshold, but these integrated surveillance efforts offer a robust mechanism to counter it, protecting both marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Lawyers advising fishing companies or compliance officers in the maritime sector operating in West African waters, particularly Guinea-Bissau, should note the significantly increased risk of detection for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities due to enhanced satellite surveillance and data sharing partnerships. Clients must ensure strict compliance with fishing licenses, area restrictions, and AIS protocols to avoid severe penalties, as the ability to identify 'dark' vessels or those disabling AIS is improving.

Source: Original reporting via news source analysis