Fishing surveillance in West Africa

The World Bank project developed within the West Africa Regional Fisheries Project (WARFP) demonstrated the utility of satellite-based surveillance for IUU (Illegal, Unlicensed and Unreported) fisheries detection, focusing on the use of radar imagery processed and analysed in near-real time to detect vessels in areas of interest. Such detection may be correlated with cooperative transponder data (green) to provide an enhanced understanding of activities taking place within Exclusive Economic Zones or maritime areas of interest, and non-cooperative data (red) usually associated with IUU activities (vessels engaged in fishing in restricted areas/EEZs without authorisation).