• Oceans

Using Satellites To Track Illegal Fishing Vessels at Night

• Illegal fishing
• Indonesia
• IUU fishing
• NOAA
• Oceana
• Philippines
• VIIRs

The U.S. NGO Oceana is working with municipal governments in the Philippines to expose illegal fishing in that country’s waters using a U.S. government satellite sensor called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). 

• Food

Fish Fraud Is Not Fake News

• CBS News
• CNN
• fraud
• IUU fishing
• Oceana
• red snapper
• seafood
• tilapia

A new study by the non-profit Oceana found that more than one in five fish they tested from supermarkets and restaurants is mislabeled.  It is a typical bait and switch, according to Beth Lowell of Oceana, who said “The consumer thinks that they’re getting a high-priced fish and instead they’re getting the cheaper alternative … they’re being ripped off.” 

• Oceans

Defense Think Tank Wades into Ocean Sustainability Fight

• climate change
• fisheries
• global security
• IUU fishing
• national security
• ocean governance
• ocean resources
• oceans

A new “front” opened yesterday in the fight to ensure that the world’s ocean resources are used sustainably, with the launch of the Stephenson Ocean Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).  The Project’s web site explains its objective — to raise awareness about the ways that competition for marine resources contributes to instability and geopolitical risk for the United States.

Why This Matters:  Full disclosure — I (Monica) have had a long standing interest in the issue of ocean resources and national security, and have been working to help CSIS get the ball rolling on the project.  I believe that if you substituted the word “oil” for “fish” in the paragraphs above, no one would even blink at the national security implications and environmental significance of this work. Fish in my view could be even more important than oil to a larger segment of the public globally — those in the developing world who don’t have cars but do eat fish. The resources available at the Department of Defense (both technical and financial) could be a game changer for efforts to ensure ocean sustainability into the future.