We tracked illegal fishing in marine protected areas – satellites and AI show most bans are respected, and could help enforce future ones

A school of bigeye trevally swims near Bikar Atoll. Enric Sala/National Geographic Pristine Seas

Marine protected areas cover more than 8% of the world’s oceans today, but they can get a bad rap as being protected on paper only.

While the name invokes safe havens for fish, whales and other sea life, these areas can be hard to monitor. High-profile violations, such as recent fishing fleet incursions near the Galapagos Islands and ships that “go dark” by turning off their tracking devices, have fueled concerns about just how much poaching is going undetected.