What’s really happening in the ocean’s “dark zones”

Quick Overview

Vast amounts of Chinese industrial fishing activity, representing 44% of the world's visible activity between 2022 and 2024, occur in dark zones outside international waters and often involve illegal practices like turning off AIS transponders, which are only revealed by combining satellite imagery and radar data, showing vessels clustering near protected areas like the Galapagos Marine Reserve.

Key Points: Chinese industrial fishing vessels accounted for 44% of the world's visible fishing activity between 2022 and 2024, according to an Oceana analysis. Many of these fishing operations occur outside Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and in international waters, often involving 'dark activity' where AIS transponders are turned off to evade tracking. The investigation combined AIS data with satellite imagery (Optical and SAR) and night light detections to reveal this otherwise hidden activity, particularly around the Galapagos Islands. In the Galapagos EEZ, illegal fishing activity appears densely clustered, suggesting the vessels are targeting protected areas, which is further evidenced by AIS data gaps coinciding with dark activity. Workers on these vessels often endure harsh conditions, including potential debt bondage, violence, and poor health due to long, isolated deployments and unsanitary environments. The data reveals specific patterns, such as fleets operating near the coast of North Africa and around South America, often skirting or entering protected zones.

Context: This video investigates the largely invisible industrial fishing operations conducted by massive Chinese fleets, often operating in international waters or protected zones, utilizing techniques to mask their presence, such as disabling Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmitters. The investigation relies on merging multiple remote sensing data streams—AIS, satellite imagery, and night light detections—to uncover the true scale and locations of this activity, which has significant geopolitical and environmental consequences, particularly regarding illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.