“Dark” vessels are known to switch off their location transmitters to avoid detection so they can engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, called IUU Fishing. This is a major contributor to the decline of fish stocks and marine habitat destruction, undermining legitimate fish harvesters’ livelihoods.
The Canadian Government’s Fisheries and Oceans Canada is in partnership with the Department of National Defense and MDA (Canada’s largest space technology manufacturer, which owns RADARSAT-2). It has launched a new program that has already led to significant fines on five foreign vessels as of now.
The $7 million Dark Vessel Detection program locates and tracks vessels using satellite technology whose location transmitting devices have been turned off, sometimes in an attempt to evade monitoring, control and surveillance.
