Millions of previously hidden fishing vessels will be almost live-tracked as part of a project promising the clearest ever map of human activity at sea.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Minderoo Foundation and Global Fishing Watch, was announced at a global ocean summit in Kenya on Thursday.
Combining satellite imagery and vessel tracking data, the map will provide a near-real-time snapshot of millions of fishing vessels.
"This is genuinely uncharted territory," Minderoo Foundation founder Andrew Forrest said.
"No one has attempted to map global fishing effort at this scale before."
The map, due for release within two years, is designed to curb overfishing by helping policymakers and fisheries track fishing activity worldwide.
Global Fishing Watch currently tracks the activity of more than 100,000 large and medium-sized fishing vessels through its open-access map.
