Africa: Illegal Fishing Is Thriving in African Waters - a Satellite System Could Help Change That

[The Conversation Africa] A patrol boat off the coast of Gabon intercepted three trawlers in July 2026, inside the Grand Sud Reserve. This is one of west and central Africa's largest marine reserves, where industrial trawling is banned. None of the trawlers held a valid licence. The patrol found them because analysts at the non-profit Global Fishing Watch had studied satellite data and worked out where to look.