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Good practice Imported

Palau's Satellite-Based Enforcement of the National Marine Sanctuary

Palau · Koror · See the Palau profile · See the Koror profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 77% 33/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Palau's 2015 National Marine Sanctuary Act closed 80% of its ~604,000 km² waters to fishing. A 3-boat patrol fleet has since relied on satellite vessel-tracking, including a 2015 shark-poaching bust, formalised by a 2023 Global Fishing Watch data-sharing partnership.

80%
EEZ closed to commercial fishing
304
Shark carcasses recovered in 2015 interception (2015)
US$100,000
Fine levied (2015)
Palau's Satellite-Based Enforcement of the National Marine Sanctuary

Details

Maturity
Established
Promoter
Palau Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment / Global Fishing Watch
Period
2015-present
Keywords
marine conservation, fisheries enforcement, satellite monitoring, blue economy

Context

Palau's National Marine Sanctuary Act (October 2015) closed 80% of its ~604,000 km² EEZ to commercial fishing, one of the largest fully protected marine areas created up to that point, but enforcement fell to a patrol fleet of just three vessels.

Activities

Palau paired physical patrols with satellite-based vessel tracking (AIS data) analysed by partners including Global Fishing Watch/SkyTruth; in September 2023 the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment signed an MOU with Global Fishing Watch to make vessel-tracking data public and add analytical support for licensing, port inspections and enforcement.

Results

Satellite AIS tracking helped Palau's patrol boat Remeliik intercept the Taiwanese vessel Shin Jyi Chyuu 33 on 23 January 2015 after it was tracked going dark and reappearing in Palauan waters; the boarding recovered 304 shark carcasses and led to a US$100,000 fine.

Conclusions

Enforcement capacity remains limited relative to the area involved, so satellite tracking substitutes for constant physical presence rather than replacing it, and detection does not guarantee interception.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Long (> 3 years)
Staffing & skills
Palau Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment patrol crews (3 vessels), Global Fishing Watch/SkyTruth satellite analysts

Conditions for success

  • Satellite AIS vessel-tracking data shared with an external analytical partner (Global Fishing Watch) to compensate for a small patrol fleet
  • 2023 MOU formalising data-sharing and analytical support tied to licensing, port inspections and enforcement

Common failure modes

  • Three-vessel patrol fleet cannot guarantee interception even when satellite tracking detects suspicious activity, given distances and vessel 'dark periods'

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes Philanthropic / foundation funding

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

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