A Framework to Learn Behaviours of Flag of Convenience Fishing Vessel Activities

Abstract

Flag of convenience (FOC) vessels is a common practice in which vessel owners register their ship in another country other than the ship owners. This policy creates difficulties in enforcing regulations from the owners company. Mainly, FOC vessels are usually a part of the dark fleet. These vessels are typically invisible to the authorities because they are registered abroad and create problems in management. In fisheries, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) activities often use FOC vessels as cover. Typically, the country of origin is unable to track vessels registered as FOCs. Thus third-party information must be acquired to detect FOC interactions with domestic vessels. In this research, with the Global Fishing Watch providing information of FOCs and along with our data aggregation techniques, methods are developed to detect and monitor FOC vessels conducting activities with domestic vessels and enforce laws to prevent IUU actions.