Sightings of commercial fishing vessels in wildlife survey datasets were compared to GPS vessel tracking data. In total, 4,574 vessel sightings were compared to automatic identification system (AIS) data, and 18,400 were compared with vessel monitoring system (VMS) data. Unfortunately, few datasets had the majority of vessel sightings matched to nearby AIS or VMS tracks; the ones that did had a highly uncertain estimated proportion matched; and there were large inconsistencies in the estimated proportions among years, seasons, and subregions of the analysis. Linking wildlife survey data and AIS and/or VMS tracks did not result in a robust correction factor for the degree to which commercial fishing activity is underestimated by vessel tracking data.

USD: $250,000

2021-06-11 → 2023-12-31