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Crimes at Sea

Why They Matter and How Journalists Can Investigate an Invisible World

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Who is GRID-Arendal

A non-profit environmental organisation
Established in 1989 – UNEP & Norwegian governance system.
Unique blend of skills to support environmental action across the globe.
Scientific depth
Creative Communication
Hands-on project experience

We Turn knowledge into impact

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The ocean covers 70% of Earth, yet less than 10% is meaningfully monitored.

Most maritime crime occurs out of sight, outside national jurisdiction, and in legal grey zones.

Alone - illegal fishing = $23 billion annually* - the most widespread form of environmental crime in the Ocean

The Ocean – why investigate

Most of the planet is a blind spot.�When we investigate the ocean, we’re looking into a part of the world most people never see. Vast areas are barely monitored, and that makes it easy for serious crimes to happen without witnesses or consequences. Illegal activity at sea thrives in this invisibility. Vessels can hide, change identity, or vanish. And the money involved is huge — illegal fishing alone brings in billions every year.

This is why ocean investigations matter.

If journalists don’t shine a light on what happens out there, these crimes continue unchecked and the damage spreads to ecosystems, food security, and the climate.

Your job is simply to make the invisible visible ;) …

*The illegal fishing amounts to $23 billion annually is supported by multiple reputable sources, with most estimates placing annual global losses from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the range of $15.5 billion to $36.4 billion https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-illegal-fishing-day �An important point is that the very important range of estimation (from 10 to 50+ million) is due to the lack of knowledge and monitoring of this practice = needs for investigations and more robust surveillance system��https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/topics/policy-issues/fisheries-and-aquaculture/OECD%20Review%20of%20Fisheries%202025%20Summary%20-%20web.pdf

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For investigative journalists, this means:�

Few witnesses
Weak enforcement
Fragmented legal frameworks
Powerful actors with global reach
Crimes at sea are not niche - they shape geopolitics, food security, climate resilience, and biodiversity

The causes are complex and often lead to vulnerable people being exploited

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Why Investigating the Ocean Is So Hard

A. Governance gap and jurisdiction fragmented.

B. Weak global monitoring and Technological limitations.

C. Geographical scope and invisibility making collections of evidence challenging.

A. Governance gaps

High seas fall between jurisdictions → low accountability.

Maritime law, flag states, port states, coastal states - a confusing web.

B. Weak global monitoring

AIS turned off

Flags of convenience

Limited inspection capacity

Underfunded maritime authorities

C. Geography & invisibility

Vast distances, remote waters, and lack of physical access → makes verification extremely difficult.

There are a few reasons why crimes at sea are so hard to uncover:

the governance is messy — the high seas sit between jurisdictions, and the legal system is a mix of flag states, port states, and coastal states.
global monitoring is weak. Ships can turn off AIS, use flags of convenience, and many countries simply don’t have the resources to inspect vessels.
the distances are huge and the areas are remote, so it’s extremely hard to verify anything.

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Why it matters so much

Global transboundary issue (natural resources migrations, marine litter global issue…)
Threat to local livelihood and future environmental sustainability
Close connection to organised crime with global security threats.

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How This Connects to BBNJ, the Plastic Treaty & Global Governance

BBNJ (Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction)

First-ever treaty to protect biodiversity on the high seas, where most crimes are hardest to track.

Introduces:

Marine Protected Areas in the high seas
Environmental impact assessments
Benefit sharing & accountability

Reporting angle: �BBNJ will reshape what exploitation is legal, who profits, and who is responsible.

The BBNJ agreement is important because it’s the first global treaty designed to protect biodiversity on the high seas — the area where most ocean crime is hardest to follow.

It brings in tools we haven’t had before: the ability to create marine protected areas far from shore, stronger requirements for environmental impact assessments, and clearer rules for benefit sharing and accountability.

For journalists, the key angle is this: BBNJ will change what kinds of exploitation are allowed, who stands to profit, and who is finally held responsible. It’s a major shift in how the high seas are governed.

On Global governance, it is a matter of national as well as regional seventy and social justice. Control over natural resources are key to the future of the most vulnerable populations, yet it is profiting the more powerful and “extracting” local richness to be reinjected in other places.

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Plastic Treaty

Plastic pollution is a transboundary crime issue:

Illegal waste shipments
Dumping at sea
Links to organised criminal networks

The treaty forces:

Traceability
Restrictions on harmful plastics
Producer responsibility

Reporting angle: follow the waste, money, and corporate influence.

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Ocean crime = �planetary consequence

Destroying marine ecosystems affects:

Climate regulation
Food chains
Blue carbon storage
Coastal communities

Journalists should frame ocean crime as global environmental crime, not “fisheries stories.”

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How Crimes at Sea Connect Across Issues

Crime / Pressure	Journalistic Red Flag	Link to Treaties
Illegal fishing	AIS & VMS (national data) gaps, transshipment, migrant crews	BBNJ governance, MPA enforcement
Deep-sea extractive activities	Corporate secrecy, unknown impacts	BBNJ EIAs
Plastic waste trafficking	Misdeclared cargo, ports with weak oversight	Plastic treaty: global rules
Organized crime at sea	Ghost fleets, forced labor	Cross-border enforcement gaps
Shipping emissions & pollution	Flags of convenience, weak IMO pressure	Climate–ocean intersection

One thing that’s important for journalists is to see how these crimes connect across issues.

Illegal fishing, plastic trafficking, labor abuse, pollution, and shipping impacts aren’t separate problems — they often happen together, driven by the same networks, the same weak oversight, and the same gaps in governance.

When you follow a vessel or a company, you’ll often find multiple layers of wrongdoing, not just one.

So the goal is to look at the whole system, not isolated cases. That’s where the bigger story — and the accountability — really is.�

AIS and VMS (national data), can be used through online platforms like “Global Fishing Watch” or “Skylight”. Number of licences and nationality of ships owner vs operating flag.�AIS gaps are simply the missing pieces in a vessel’s tracking signal.

AIS — Automatic Identification System — is a tracking signal ships are supposed to broadcast so others can see their position, speed, and identity.

An AIS gap happens when that signal is missing, switched off, or manipulated.

There are a few reasons this happens:

Intentional shutdowns → vessels hide their location to avoid detection.

Spoofing → sending false positions or identities.

Poor coverage → some remote ocean areas have limited satellite reception.

Technical issues → equipment can fail, though this is less common.�

For journalists and investigators, AIS gaps are a red flag, because they often coincide with:

Illegal fishing

Transshipment at sea

Labor abuse

Dumping waste

Entering protected areas

In short:

AIS gaps = moments when a vessel becomes invisible — and often when the most suspicious activity happens.��All of these thrive when there are weak governance structures, including weak pressure or enforcement from the IMO, which is the UN body responsible for regulating shipping.

So in this narrative, weak IMO pressure means:

Weak rules on vessel monitoring, waste handling, labor conditions, or pollution

Weak enforcement of the rules that do exist

Weak political will among IMO member states to strengthen regulations

Weak accountability mechanisms for shipping companies and flag states

This lack of strong action allows the same vessels or companies to engage in multiple illegal or harmful activities across different issue areas — exactly the point in the paragraph you shared.�

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction — the new UN High Seas Treaty adopted in 2023.

It regulates the protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the high seas and deep seabed).�

EIAs

Environmental Impact Assessments — processes for evaluating the potential environmental effects of planned activities before they are carried out.

So, “BBNJ EIAs” means:

Environmental Impact Assessments required under the rules of the BBNJ High Seas Treaty for activities happening in the high seas that could affect marine biodiversity.

These assessments aim to:

Identify potential environmental impacts

Require transparency and reporting

Ensure activities don’t harm vulnerable ecosystems

Improve global oversight in places where no single country has authority

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What Journalists �Need to Do:

Core Competencies for Ocean Investigations

�A. Understand how to read and use ocean data

B. Learn the governance

C. Follow supply chains

D. Collaborate transnationally

E. Prioritize safety & verification

A. Develop literacy in ocean data

AIS, satellite imagery, port registries, vessel ownership.

Understand limitations (spoofing, gaps, false flags).

B. Learn the governance

High seas vs EEZs

Regional Fisheries Management Organisations

IMO vs UNEP vs UNODC

C. Follow supply chains

From fish to shipping to plastics → all have traceable footprints.

Corporate networks connect crimes in one region to profits in another.

D. Collaborate transnationally

No single journalist can follow a vessel that moves across 8 jurisdictions → cross-border work is essential.

This is where GRID-Arendal’s training, data access, and partnerships matter.

E. Prioritize safety & verification

Maritime crime stories often involve dangerous actors and geopolitical sensitivities.��To work on ocean stories, there are a few things journalists need.

First, a basic understanding of ocean data — AIS signals, satellite images, port records, and who actually owns the vessels. And you need to know the weaknesses in the system, like spoofing or missing data.

Second, a sense of the governance. The rules change between the high seas and national waters, and different organisations handle different parts of the puzzle.

Third, follow the supply chains. Fish, plastics, and shipping all leave traces, and the same companies often connect activities across countries.

Fourth, collaboration. No one can track a vessel moving through several jurisdictions alone, so cross-border teamwork is essential …

And finally, safety and verification. These stories can involve powerful actors, so it’s important to work carefully and double-check everything

��

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Empowering Journalists

Environmental reporting is getting more complex, not less.
Journalists need both scientific grounding and practical tools

And remember there is �often a local angle and a�solution to the problems!

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This story matters because the ocean matters

More than 3 billion people depend directly on the ocean for food and livelihoods.
Crimes at sea destabilize economies, ecosystems, and climate systems.

Journalists have a critical role

You are the watchdogs of the world’s last truly wild frontier.
Your investigations can directly influence treaties like BBNJ and the Plastic Treaty.

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Thankyou

Contact: �Maria Dalby

Maria.Dalby@grida.no