Latest news with #JuanMayorga
Scoop
6 days ago
- Science
- Scoop
New Research: Satellite Imagery Detects Illegal Fishing Activity, Shows Strict Protections Work
The first-of-its-kind study reveals that the worlds most strongly protected marine reserves successfully curb industrial fishing activity, offering a new way to assess fishing compliance and bridge blind spots in current monitoring methods. Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2025) — New peer-reviewed research in the journal Science demonstrates the power of strict legal bans against industrial fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs). The analysis — which combines satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technology to detect previously untraceable vessels — reveals that most of the globe's fully and highly protected MPAs successfully deter illegal fishing. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that the most strictly protected marine reserves are well respected and are not simply 'paper parks.' The study, 'Little-to-no industrial fishing occurs in fully and highly protected marine areas' finds that: 78.5% of the 1,380 MPAs studied had no commercial fishing activity; Of the MPAs where satellite images detected illegal fishing activity, 82% of them averaged less than 24 hours of activity per calendar year; Strongly protected MPAs had, on average, nine times fewer fishing vessels per square kilometer than unprotected coastal areas; and MPAs designated as strictly-protected with significant fishing activity included those in the Chagos Marine Reserve, the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (combined with the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park), each with approximately 900 hours per year. 'Because strictly protected marine areas discourage illegal fishing, fishes are far more abundant within their boundaries, they produce more babies, and help replenish surrounding areas,' remarked Enric Sala, one of the study's co-authors, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, and founder of Pristine Seas. 'In other words, the fishing industry benefits from following the rules.' Illegal fishing poses a significant global threat, jeopardising both the health of ocean ecosystems and the economic stability of the fishing industry. Scientific evidence shows that strictly protected MPAs restore marine life within their boundaries, improve local fishing, provide jobs and economic benefits, and build resilience against a warming ocean. But when MPAs are minimally or lightly protected, the benefits practically disappear. 'The ocean is no longer too big to watch. With cutting-edge satellites and AI, we're making illegal fishing visible and proving that strong marine protections work,' said Juan Mayorga, a scientist with Pristine Seas and co-author of the study. To arrive at their conclusions, researchers analysed five billion vessel positions from the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), a GPS-based safety signal transmitted by many industrial fishing vessels, and paired this with satellite images generated by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which can detect vessels regardless of weather or light conditions. The combination of the datasets — and the use of AI models developed by Global Fishing Watch — allowed researchers to detect the majority of fishing vessels over fifteen meters long, including so-called dark vessels that do not broadcast their location and often operate to evade detection. 'No single dataset can solve the challenge of monitoring fishing activity at sea; each has its blind spots,' asserted Mayorga. 'But when we combine them, their power emerges. By fusing AIS tracking with satellite radar imagery and AI, we are now much closer to the full picture of human activity across the ocean. That's especially important in the crown jewels of the ocean — the world's most strongly protected areas — where the stakes for enforcement and biodiversity are highest.' Researchers found that the AIS data missed almost 90% of SAR-based fishing vessel detections within these MPAs. Inaccurate data, limited resources and the vastness of the ocean have made effectively monitoring MPAs for industrial fishing a challenge. This groundbreaking methodology offers a powerful new way to assess fishing compliance and bridge blind spots in current monitoring methods, the authors found. 'By using satellites to track fishing vessels, countries can predict the locations of illegal activities and target patrol efforts, saving both manpower and money,' said Jennifer Raynor, the study's lead author and a professor of natural resource economics in UW–Madison's Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. A growing body of research shows that MPAs produce spillover of fishes and invertebrates that increases the catches of species from small and sedentary (lobsters, scallops) to large and migratory (tuna). A 2024 study revealed that fishing catch per unit effort increases, on average, 12% to 18% near the boundaries of large fully protected MPAs. 'Illegal fishing takes place in areas of the ocean set aside for protection, but using satellites we have found — for the first time ever — that the level of protection determines how much risk industrial fishers are willing to take on,' Sala remarked. 'Fully and highly marine protected areas discourage illegal fishing. The stricter the rules in place to conserve ocean areas, the more benefits nations receive — including more fish to be caught outside protected areas' boundaries.' National Geographic Pristine Seas Pristine Seas works with Indigenous and local communities, governments, and other partners to help protect vital places in the ocean using a unique combination of research, community engagement, policy work, and filmmaking. Since 2008, our program has conducted nearly 50 expeditions around the world and helped establish 30 marine reserves, spanning more than 6.9 million square kilometers of ocean. Pristine Seas is part of the global non-profit, the National Geographic Society. Our mission is driven by science and filmmaking — we are fully independent from National Geographic publishing and its media arm.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Science
- Scoop
New Research: Satellite Imagery Detects Illegal Fishing Activity, Shows Strict Protections Work
Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2025) — New peer-reviewed research in the journal Science demonstrates the power of strict legal bans against industrial fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs). The analysis — which combines satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technology to detect previously untraceable vessels — reveals that most of the globe's fully and highly protected MPAs successfully deter illegal fishing. The study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that the most strictly protected marine reserves are well respected and are not simply 'paper parks.' The study, 'Little-to-no industrial fishing occurs in fully and highly protected marine areas' finds that: 78.5% of the 1,380 MPAs studied had no commercial fishing activity; Of the MPAs where satellite images detected illegal fishing activity, 82% of them averaged less than 24 hours of activity per calendar year; Strongly protected MPAs had, on average, nine times fewer fishing vessels per square kilometer than unprotected coastal areas; and MPAs designated as strictly-protected with significant fishing activity included those in the Chagos Marine Reserve, the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (combined with the Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park), each with approximately 900 hours per year. 'Because strictly protected marine areas discourage illegal fishing, fishes are far more abundant within their boundaries, they produce more babies, and help replenish surrounding areas,' remarked Enric Sala, one of the study's co-authors, a National Geographic Explorer in Residence, and founder of Pristine Seas. 'In other words, the fishing industry benefits from following the rules.' Illegal fishing poses a significant global threat, jeopardising both the health of ocean ecosystems and the economic stability of the fishing industry. Scientific evidence shows that strictly protected MPAs restore marine life within their boundaries, improve local fishing, provide jobs and economic benefits, and build resilience against a warming ocean. But when MPAs are minimally or lightly protected, the benefits practically disappear. 'The ocean is no longer too big to watch. With cutting-edge satellites and AI, we're making illegal fishing visible and proving that strong marine protections work,' said Juan Mayorga, a scientist with Pristine Seas and co-author of the study. To arrive at their conclusions, researchers analysed five billion vessel positions from the Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), a GPS-based safety signal transmitted by many industrial fishing vessels, and paired this with satellite images generated by Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), which can detect vessels regardless of weather or light conditions. The combination of the datasets — and the use of AI models developed by Global Fishing Watch — allowed researchers to detect the majority of fishing vessels over fifteen meters long, including so-called dark vessels that do not broadcast their location and often operate to evade detection. 'No single dataset can solve the challenge of monitoring fishing activity at sea; each has its blind spots,' asserted Mayorga. 'But when we combine them, their power emerges. By fusing AIS tracking with satellite radar imagery and AI, we are now much closer to the full picture of human activity across the ocean. That's especially important in the crown jewels of the ocean — the world's most strongly protected areas — where the stakes for enforcement and biodiversity are highest.' Researchers found that the AIS data missed almost 90% of SAR-based fishing vessel detections within these MPAs. Inaccurate data, limited resources and the vastness of the ocean have made effectively monitoring MPAs for industrial fishing a challenge. This groundbreaking methodology offers a powerful new way to assess fishing compliance and bridge blind spots in current monitoring methods, the authors found. 'By using satellites to track fishing vessels, countries can predict the locations of illegal activities and target patrol efforts, saving both manpower and money,' said Jennifer Raynor, the study's lead author and a professor of natural resource economics in UW–Madison's Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology. A growing body of research shows that MPAs produce spillover of fishes and invertebrates that increases the catches of species from small and sedentary (lobsters, scallops) to large and migratory (tuna). A 2024 study revealed that fishing catch per unit effort increases, on average, 12% to 18% near the boundaries of large fully protected MPAs. 'Illegal fishing takes place in areas of the ocean set aside for protection, but using satellites we have found — for the first time ever — that the level of protection determines how much risk industrial fishers are willing to take on,' Sala remarked. 'Fully and highly marine protected areas discourage illegal fishing. The stricter the rules in place to conserve ocean areas, the more benefits nations receive — including more fish to be caught outside protected areas' boundaries.' National Geographic Pristine Seas Pristine Seas works with Indigenous and local communities, governments, and other partners to help protect vital places in the ocean using a unique combination of research, community engagement, policy work, and filmmaking. Since 2008, our program has conducted nearly 50 expeditions around the world and helped establish 30 marine reserves, spanning more than 6.9 million square kilometers of ocean. Pristine Seas is part of the global non-profit, the National Geographic Society. Our mission is driven by science and filmmaking — we are fully independent from National Geographic publishing and its media arm.
Euronews
13-06-2025
- Science
- Euronews
The race to 30x30: How far behind are we on ocean protection?
In 2022, the world made the groundbreaking commitment to protect at least 30 per cent of all land and sea by 2030. But, as the vital role of oceans in fighting climate change becomes clearer, a pressing question remains - how much of our marine environment still needs safeguarding to reach that goal? According to new research from Dynamic Planet and National Geographic Pristine Seas, far more than governments are currently prepared to commit. For the first time, experts have quantified the vast gap between the roughly 8 per cent of global oceans currently under some kind of protection and the 30 per cent target. To close this gap, they say 85 new coastal marine protected areas (MPAs) would need to be established every day until 2030. The study estimates the world needs around 190,000 small MPAs in coastal areas, plus 300 large MPAs in remote offshore waters to meet the 30x30 target. 'Our analysis, which covers over 13,000 MPAs worldwide, quickly revealed how far behind the world really is,' says Juan Mayorga, a co-author of the study and marine data scientist at National Geographic Pristine Seas. 'The exact number of additional MPAs needed depends on their size and the standards for what counts as truly protected, but the scale of the challenge is undeniable.' Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are sections of the ocean where human activity is more strictly managed to protect natural or cultural resources. Similar to national parks on land, they aim to conserve marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and cultural heritage, while sometimes also supporting the sustainable use of marine resources within their bounds. MPAs vary in purpose and level of protection. Some are fully protected, prohibiting fishing, drilling, or other extractive activities, allowing marine life to thrive without human interference. Others may allow limited, sustainable use of resources such as small-scale fishing or tourism under regulation. But the primary goal is to preserve important habitats and fragile ecosystems like coral reefs, seagrass beds, and breeding grounds for fish, turtles, and other species. According to the study's authors, coastal MPAs are especially crucial, as most biodiversity and human activity concentrate near the shore. Reaching the target, they say, will require massive commitments from countries with extensive coastlines and marine territories such as Indonesia, Canada, Russia and the United States. The highest need is in East Asia and the Pacific, where 102 large and 75,000 small MPAs are required. A total of 65 large and 33,000 small MPAs are needed across Europe, South Asia, and the Coral Triangle - a biodiverse region encompassing Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and others. On paper, it appears that some countries have already met the target, but far more action is needed to ensure these areas are truly protected. Nations like Australia, Chile, France and the UK have already surpassed the 30 per cent protection threshold for their waters. But France and the UK accomplished this with a heavy reliance on creating MPAs in their overseas territories. This raises concerns over effective enforcement and impacts on local communities. Many existing protected areas aren't effective either. In the EU, 80 per cent of MPAs lack proper management and offer minimal protection from damaging human activities. So widespread is the problem that many individual country governments and even the EU itself are facing legal action for allowing damaging fishing practices like bottom trawling in these areas. The creation of protected areas has accelerated as concern over ocean health grows. A slew of commitments have been made at the UN Ocean Conference this week, with many governments using the opportunity to unveil new MPAs on the international stage. Colombia, another country that has already surpassed the 30 per cent target, announced the protection of two of the most remote coral reefs in the Caribbean Sea. Together, the new Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo MPAs encompass 3,800 square kilometres, home to a dazzling array of sealife. The Government of Tanzania announced the designation of two new MPAs in highly biodiverse waters off Pemba Island. The North-East Pemba Conservation Area and the South-East Pemba Conservation Area together span over 1,300 square kilometres and protect vital coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, and the habitat of threatened sharks and rays. And President Moetai Brotherson of French Polynesia announced the creation of the world's largest MPA, covering almost 5 million square kilometres. Once implemented, the designation will safeguard 220,000 square kilometres near the Society Islands and 680,000 square kilometres near the Gambier Islands. In addition to these fully protected areas where all activity is prohibited, additional artisanal fishing zones will expand the overall protection to 1,086,000 square kilometres, an area around twice the size of continental France. While these are landmark commitments, experts warn that progress remains far too slow. Most countries have not even outlined how they plan to meet the 30x30 target. 'The pace of implementation of marine protected areas is totally inadequate for what the world needs,' says Enric Sala, co-author of the study and founder of National Geographic Pristine Seas. 'We've had too many conferences full of speeches and good intentions; now we need leadership and real action. Without more effective protection now, the ocean won't be able to continue providing for us, especially for coastal communities in the Global South who are already suffering from overfishing and global warming.'
Washington Post
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
When a town has to fend off a tyrant
'We kill the tyrants or die trying to, for we are many and they are few,' proclaims a mayor pushed to his limits in a new adaptation from Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga of the classic 1600s work 'Fuenteovejuna.' Claims of tyranny haven't exactly disappeared from the headlines in 2025. And GALA Hispanic Theatre's U.S. premiere production, directed by José Luis Arellano, brings a contemporary freshness to a storied Lope de Vega work that still feels urgent and stirring, weaving together snippets of song, dance and verse as it meditates on the collective strength a group united can wage upon a corrupt leader.
