Fisheries enforcement through vessel localization using AVHRR and SAR technology

Natural Resources Consultants, Western Resources Analysis and NASA are investigating the application of Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology to fisheries enforcement concerns. The goal of the project is to develop and market a surveillance system that can passively monitor fishing vessel locations in near real time. Work has been conducted along the US West Coast and in the Bering Sea. Vessel tracks were observed with regularity in the West coast AVHRR data but were less detectable in the more complex meteorological conditions found in the Bering Sea. ERS-1 SAR data did reveal 50 m to 100 m fishing vessels operating on fishing grounds in the Bering Sea. The larger vessels were detected despite wind-roughened seas and the presence of speckle. The smaller vessels also had good returns and both vessel classes may be detectable with automated methods. Given the usefulness of AVHRR and SAR imagery in detecting vessels, and the potential for near-real time data provision from Canada´s RADARSAT, commercialization opportunities are now being investigated