- eduartstrazimiri9
- Dec 19, 2025
- 3 min read
The collaborative strength of the Joint Analytical Cell’s five organizations has shaped a highly productive year for fisheries intelligence in 2025. As partners around the world confronted evolving challenges in combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the JAC’s collective capabilities enabled faster analysis, stronger regional collaboration, and more effective operations and capacity building.
The past year reflects not only what the JAC can do, but what becomes possible when diverse and expert organizations unite behind a shared mission to protect our oceans and end illegal fishing.
JAC’s expanding global impact
In 2025, the JAC engaged with partners in 49 countries and regional bodies, from Cambodia to Côte d’Ivoire to Costa Rica. The team delivered 35 intelligence products, including detailed intelligence reports and analytical packages that strengthened 11 fisheries patrols across the Pacific and West and East Africa.
One of the year’s most significant milestones came in January, when Panamanian authorities seized six longliner vessels caught operating illegally inside the Cordillera de Coiba Marine Protected Area—the largest marine protected area (MPA) enforcement action in the nation’s history.
JAC’s support was pivotal. Insights generated from Skylight data, combined with local aerial surveillance, enabled authorities to identify, locate, and board vessels still present in the area. JAC analytical reports also helped to inform cases against the vessels. The operation, led by the National Aeronaval Service, the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama, and the Ministry of Environment, has showcased the power of coordinated national action backed by global analytical capacity.
Training and capacity building
This year, the JAC trained nearly 500 fisheries officers and staff from other agencies, across 16 training events, in the use of tools and data to support a risk-based approach to fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS)—including hands-on experience using the suite of free-to-access tools provided by JAC members.
A new JAC MCS curriculum funded by Fisheries and Oceans Canada will launch next year, informed by a successful initial implementation delivered in December in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR). The CMAR MCS Train the Trainer program brought together officers from Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, and Mexico, building technical expertise in using diverse Maritime Domain Awareness tools to protect remote MPAs, with key contributions from WildAid, Fundación Pacífico, Bezos Earth Fund, and the CMAR Project financed by the Bezos Earth Fund.
In August, the JAC convened a regional workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, marking the launch of a U.S. State Department–funded initiative aimed at exposing IUU fishing and other illicit activity across the Western Indian Ocean and beyond. Partners identified priority needs and began planning upcoming national and regional patrols for 2026, reinforcing risk-based planning and the central role of the Regional Coordination Unit in shaping joint operations.
JAC tools
In 2025, free-to-access tools provided by JAC members reached more people than ever, with over 300,000 combined users across 233 countries and territories. Throughout the year, JAC partners continued to refine and integrate their platforms to support more efficient data access in support of fisheries MCS.
A major achievement was the integration of key data from TMT’s FACT database into the Global Fishing Watch platform and data pipeline, providing richer, more accurate public vessel profiles—now fully accessible through the Global Fishing Watch Map and integrated into Skylight’s vessel details. Further interoperability among Skylight, Global Fishing Watch, and Triton allow in-depth vessel investigation from real-time activity, to vessel history, and vessel ownership with a few clicks.
Connecting a community of partners
At the 3rd UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice in early June, the JAC brought together a diverse and committed community of partners, supporters, and leaders working to combat IUU fishing. The event celebrated the collective progress made possible through collaboration and shared technical expertise.
We were honored to welcome distinguished guests, including Annette Gibbons, Associate Deputy Minister at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, who reaffirmed Canada’s support for the JAC’s mission. Representatives from governments, NGOs, and regional bodies such as The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, CMAR, The Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea and Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission attended —each bringing their own perspective to a shared vision of stronger ocean governance. Together, their contributions painted a vivid picture of a global community united to fight IUU fishing and benefiting from the support of the JAC and its members.
As we head into the next year, the JAC wishes to thank all our donors, partners and supporters. We look forward to working with you in 2026!