Enforcing Large and Remote Protected Areas
Marine Conservation Institute has worked with enforcement agencies in the southeastern US, the Pacific marine monuments and west coast national marine sanctuaries to optimize surveillance and enforcement capacity for recently designated large marine protected areas.
This includes evaluating current monitoring and enforcement strategies, identifying potential improvements and assessing new methods of monitoring human activity. We have evaluated numerous new technologies for monitoring and enforcement in marine protected areas, including: high frequency radar, passive sonar, satellite radar photography and vessel tracking and autonomous sailboats. Currently, we are working towards pilot testing autonomous sailboats to document fishing violators.
Surveillance and enforcement of regulations on the high seas are even more challenging than within US jurisdiction. Marine Conservation Institute is working not only to create marine protected areas on the high seas, but also to ensure that regulations are enforced effectively through international partnerships and collaborations.
Protecting America’s Pacific Marine Monuments: A Review of Threats and Law Enforcement Issues
Calling for tighter law enforcement in Pacific marine monuments, we recommend ways to help agencies combat threats to one of America’s last unspoiled frontiers.
