Nick Wise Co-Founder OceanMind on Why Success in Thailand has Paved The Way for Global Expansion in Electronic Vessel Monitoring
Success in Thailand has paved the way for global expansion in vessel monitoring, according to leading ocean protection NGO OceanMind.
Co-Founder and CEO, Nick Wise, said that the organization – whose vessel monitoring system helped Thailand’s Department of Fisheries reverse the threat of a “red card” ban from exporting to EU countries – was now working with Governments across Southeast Asia. He comments:
“Working with the Department of Fisheries and the Seafood Task Force in Thailand has given us a strong platform to engage with other Governments, who can see the benefits of taking action on illegal fishing, to give buyers confidence in their supply chain.
“STF’s influence on the seafood industry and with Governments is invaluable and we’re aiming to work with them and other partners, to expand our reach across Southeast Asia. We’re also continuing to support the Thai Government with refresher training and guidance.”
OceanMind’s world-leading system uses AI and satellite technology to monitor vessel movement and analyse the vast amount of data on every boat’s catch, so that when they offload to the main carrier vessel which takes the fish into port, inspection reports are available to prove the catch is compliant with IUU regulations.
“Ports often only get short notice that a vessel is coming into port, so they have to turn around an inspection report very quickly – usually within 24 hours,” said Nick. “There is a huge amount of data involved, with a large number of vessels, all of different sizes and types.
“The tech gets to the route of any problem extremely quickly by homing in only on the gaps in information – which are often simply forgetting the right paperwork. Machine learning cross-references the data with the licences and creates a simple checklist. Vessel owners are given much smoother access to their markets and for retailers there is confidence that the right checks have been made.
“The private sector is choosing to make change and demonstrate how they are making a difference and the Seafoood Task Force has created a model for that, inspiring many companies and organisations to become members. I hope many more retailers and brands join them to widen their reach and accelerate those vital changes.”
OceanMind is a non-profit organization that powers enforcement and compliance to protect the world’s oceans. Their scope covers fisheries compliance, climate and ocean health, undersea cultural heritage and human rights.
Nick said their mission to drive more sustainable use of the oceans, relied on a clear partnership between Governments and industry. He comments:
“The regulators and the regulated working together to source and manage seafood sustainably can create huge improvements to the health of our oceans. We need to replicate and scale every success to demonstrate to the world how possible that is.
“The more the seafood industry uses sustainable buying policies to drive behavioural change in their supply chains, the more we will protect our oceans. And it’s not just about when problems happen and the media spotlight is on the sector – sourcing and managing seafood sustainably needs to happen in the first place and be continually overseen.
“There is ongoing value to the fishing community, whose livelihoods rely on this vital industry and to economies, for whom this global food source is a major contributor.
“Biodiversity is inextricably linked with the climate crisis. The more biodiversity we can retain in the oceans in a sustainable way, the more the oceans will facilitate the absorption of carbon from the atmosphere – buying us vital time to do more to tackle climate change.
“As with any other industry which has an impact on the planet, we have to choose to make change. The good news for seafood is that the levers to facilitate that change exist in this space.”
The views in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the STF.