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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 27th June 2017
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CSIRO creates tool to fight illegal fishing
"...we can shine a spotlight on vessels acting suspiciously based on factors including the vessel's history, movement and whether its transmitter has been intentionally disabled."
Web-based tool identifies suspicious vessels

Science agency CSIRO has developed a world-first tool to help tackle illegal fishing by alerting the authorities about suspicious vessels.

The web-based system uses data collected by satellites to monitor vessels across the globe. It identifies those behaving suspiciously using a list of behaviours associated with illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing.

Senior scientist and co-designer Dr Chris Wilcox explained: “Almost all vessels are equipped with anti-collision devices that can be detected by satellites. Using data from these systems, we can shine a spotlight on vessels acting suspiciously based on factors including the vessel's history, movement and whether its transmitter has been intentionally disabled.

"Countries will be able to sign-up to receive notifications, or directly access the portal to search for vessels and then be provided with a report which highlights the suspicious behaviours involved."

Illegal fishing is the third most lucrative crime in the world, after weapons trafficking and drug smuggling. It is estimated that 26 million tonnes of illegal fish are caught every year, which is worth around $23 billion (£18 million). It is a particular problem in the developing world, where low capacity and funding make it difficult to tackle.

Dr Wilcox added: "As well as costing tens of billions of dollars each year, IUU fishing leads to overfishing and depletion of stocks which has the greatest impact on developing countries whose people rely on fish as their primary source of protein and income.

"As global population numbers continue to grow, combatting IUU fishing is becoming even more important to ensure future food security for the world."

The platform will officially launch in October. 

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.