Conkouati-Douli NP Uses EarthRanger + Skylight AI to Intercept 5 Illegal Fishing Vessels

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Conkouati-Douli NP Uses EarthRanger + Skylight AI to Intercept 5 Illegal Fishing Vessels

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Conkouati-Douli National Park, a sprawling Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Republic of Congo that provides a sanctuary for migrating whales, Atlantic Humpback dolphins, turtles, chimpanzees, gorillas, and forest elephants, deployed EarthRanger's unified real-time monitoring platform combined with Skylight maritime AI (from the Allen Institute for AI) to detect and intercept five vessels engaged in illegal fishing within the MPA, including two vessels involved in illegal shark fishing detected despite operating under the cover of darkness. "Using Skylight through the EarthRanger integration, we are effectively planning missions based on detection groupings, and we are working on specific targets and areas, making our mission more impactful per unit effort. We train eco-guards on interpreting data and using the platforms to calculate mission distances, fuel use, time, and safety protocols. Using the technology has empowered the team to improve all aspects of our marine compliance efforts," said Michael Markovina, Marine Advisor at Parc National de Conkouati-Douli. The context was that traditional methods of park management struggled to keep pace with the growing threats to these vulnerable populations in the park's vast marine protected area. From massive industrial vessels using trawl nets to the relentless use of kilometer-long nets by local fishing pirogues from Pointe Noire, these activities took a devastating toll on marine life. Without real-time awareness of what was happening in their waters, park officials struggled to deter the destructive practices of illegal fishing. Technically, park officials deployed InReach devices onboard each patrol vessel for real-time location tracking, while Skylight's advanced computer vision algorithms transform satellite imagery into actionable intelligence for park authorities. Skylight's AI allows authorities to detect anomalous behaviours amongst a spaghetti bowl of incoming vessel tracks. Marine patrols ground-truth what Skylight tells them by physically verifying vessel presence, providing invaluable training data that improves Skylight's AI algorithms. At scale, the platform automatically alerts whenever a vessel enters the park's MPA. The combination of EarthRanger's core functionalities with Skylight's AI capabilities and real-time satellite data analysis empowers park authorities with a powerful management system that can seamlessly identify and track suspicious vessels while also helping teams coordinate and implement appropriate responses.