Tracking the global footprint of fisheries

Author:

Kroodsma, David A., Juan Mayorga, Timothy Hochberg, Nathan A. Miller, Kristina Boerder, Francesco Ferretti, Alex Wilson, et al.

Publication Year:

2018

Citation:

Kroodsma, David A., Juan Mayorga, Timothy Hochberg, Nathan A. Miller, Kristina Boerder, Francesco Ferretti, Alex Wilson, et al. “Tracking the Global Footprint of Fisheries.” Science 359, no. 6378 (2018): 904–8. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao5646.

Description:

Although fishing is one of the most widespread activities by which humans harvest natural resources, its global footprint is poorly understood and has never been directly quantified. The authors processed 22 billion automatic identification system messages and tracked >70,000 industrial fishing vessels from 2012 to 2016, creating a global dynamic footprint of fishing effort with spatial and temporal resolution two to three orders of magnitude higher than for previous data sets. The study's data show that industrial fishing occurs in >55% of ocean area and has a spatial extent more than four times that of agriculture.

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