At this year’s Our Ocean Conference in Busan, all eyes were on Northeast Asia’s distant water tuna fleets — the largest in the world, operating across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.

Yet despite their vast reach, these fleets remain among the least transparent, with average observer coverage hovering below 10%. For the remaining 90% of the thousands of vessels catching tuna on the high seas, little is known.

This lack of visibility opens the door to a host of challenges: illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, underreporting of catches, shark finning, threats to protected species like seabirds and turtles, and even serious human rights abuses aboard vessels. With global markets like the European Union and the United States increasingly demanding sustainable, traceable seafood, this opacity poses growing risks to both business and the planet.

“Sustainable seafood globally is only possible through initiative and innovation in Northeast Asia. Increased management requirements and growing commitments are an important starting point; but there is an urgency to scale best practices across distant water tuna fisheries,” said Kelly Harrell, Executive Director at Ocean Outcomes.

New technologies are changing the game and can expand the efficacy of sustainability efforts. From electronic monitoring and onboard Wi-Fi to real-time vessel tracking and AI-powered analysis, tools are now available that can drastically increase monitoring and accountability at sea.

Ocean Outcomes (O2) and Global Fishing Watch (GFW) are working to accelerate adoption of these innovations.

In partnership with the government of South Korea, the organizations convened fisheries leaders at an Our Ocean side event to chart a path toward more transparent, effective fisheries management.

“We have to know what’s happening at sea if we’re serious about tackling IUU fishing. At both Our Ocean Conference and the UN Ocean Conference, the spotlight is firmly on our shared ocean and better fisheries management. The use of technology is key, but the real revolution is through governments and industry making their data public. Trust and transparency are crucial for effective, and lasting, progress,” said Tony Long, Chief Executive Officer at GFW.

Technology isn’t just a tool for monitoring — it can also improve working conditions onboard vessels. Findings from a groundbreaking pilot project demonstrate that electronic monitoring and connectivity can be leveraged to enhance labor standards and ensure the safety and dignity of crew members.

“These technologies are generating scalable solutions — and when the need is urgent. Collaboration across governments, industry, civil society and academia is increasingly effective and will bring enduring change,” added Tony.

At Our Ocean, O2 announced a new commitment: to leverage $3 million USD from philanthropic and industry partners to catalyze transparency and responsible fishing practices across high-risk, distant water tuna fleets in Northeast Asia.

As part of this commitment, O2 will work with a broad coalition of partners to scale adoption of critical technologies and best practices across the tuna longline fleet. The initiative will focus on:

• Expanding the use of electronic monitoring systems
• Installing onboard Wi-Fi to enhance crew wellbeing and communication
• Promoting rigorous human rights due diligence throughout the supply chain
• Supporting vessel participation in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) and Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification processes

“The momentum is here with a significant portion of the Northeast Asian longline tuna fleet starting to engage in sustainability work. Now, we are working with industry and government to shift fishing practices, improve policy, and implement new technologies that are critical to the long-term health of the region’s tuna fisheries and the larger ocean ecosystem that they are a part of,” added Kelly.

This commitment marks a significant step toward reshaping one of the world’s most opaque fishing sectors — and ensuring that transparency, sustainability, and human dignity are at the heart of the global tuna industry.

Additional Resources

Download a PDF of this announcement.

Ocean Outcomes (O2) is an international organization which works collaboratively with stakeholders to improve the environmental, social and economic sustainability of fisheries and their supply chains. Learn more at www.oceanoutcomes.org.

Global Fishing Watch is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing ocean governance through increased transparency of human activity at sea. By creating and publicly sharing map visualizations, data and analysis tools, Global Fishing Watch aims to enable scientific research and transform the way our ocean is managed. www.globalfishingwatch.org.