Ask Global Fishing Watch
Preferential access areas
Camila Vargas Poulsen, Technical project manager
How will a new reference layer on the Global Fishing Watch platform help users monitor activity in preferential access areas?
Preferential access areas (PAAs) are designated marine spaces where small-scale and artisanal fishers are granted priority access, typically by restricting industrial fleets based on vessel size, gear type or distance from shore. Also known as inshore exclusion zones, or IEZs, these areas emerged in the late 1970s in response to industrial fishing encroachment into coastal waters. Since then, 44 countries have established PAAs, representing a legal recognition of the vital social, cultural and economic role of small-scale fisheries.
In an era of increasing competition for coastal space and resources, including industrial fishing and other commercial interests such as offshore wind, aquaculture and shipping, PAAs are highly relevant because they secure fishing grounds for millions of small-scale fishers who provide much of the seafood consumed locally in coastal communities. By reducing competition with large-scale fleets, PAAs can help sustain livelihoods, food security and cultural practices, while supporting national commitments to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines as well as Sustainable Development Goal 14.b, which has a target to: “provide access of small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets.”
In partnership with Duke University’s Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab and the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, we have integrated a reference layer into the Global Fishing Watch map that displays all current PAAs worldwide. This layer allows users to view the polygons of countries that have designated preferential areas for small-scale fishers. Additionally, users can see where fishing activity from vessels reporting AIS is happening and explore how activity changes over time, and create a dynamic report containing analysis for any area.
The Global Fishing Watch map provides an opportunity to study the effects of establishing a PAA in more depth. The map allows users to monitor activity by overlaying vessel tracks to determine who is accessing and fishing in these areas. The map can also support enforcement by tracking near-real-time activity, flagging those vessels not authorized to operate in a PAA. Beyond compliance, the map can support the evaluation of outcomes by linking fishing effort, catch and economic value to specific PAAs, helping to assess policy effectiveness.
Preferential access areas are emerging as a promising spatial policy tool for securing and promoting small-scale fisheries, as well as advancing sustainable development goals. Although they currently cover only about 1.3 percent of all exclusive economic zones, PAAs are highly influential, as they are where the majority of small-scale catches occur in many cases. To fully realize their potential, more detailed and context-specific research is needed. The Global Fishing Watch map, overlaid with PAA polygons, can be a powerful tool for monitoring, compliance and policy evaluation.
To try this layer, go to the Global Fishing Watch map and hover over the Reference Layers menu on the left-side panel. Click on the plus sign button – “add reference layer.”
The layer library will open, then look for the “Preferential Access Areas for Small-Scale Fishing” section and click “add to workspace.” This will create a new workspace with PAA boundaries loaded on the map.
You can now zoom into a specific country (e.g. Liberia) and see its PAA layer, and use any of the map’s other features to investigate relevant questions about fishing activity in these areas.
