How Pico VMS Supports the Fight Against IUU Fishing

1. Vessel Visibility — The Foundation of Compliance

IUU fishing thrives in “dark zones” — areas where vessels operate untracked or disable their communication systems. The Pico VMS eliminates those gaps by providing continuous vessel visibility, even far offshore, where AIS coverage is limited.

• 📡 Iridium Satellite Coverage: Tracks vessels anywhere on Earth, including remote fishing zones.
• ⚙️ Tamper Alerts: Detects attempts to disable or remove the unit.
• ⚓ Auto-Port Mode & Reporting Logs: Ensures every movement, from departure to return, is recorded.

This creates transparency — regulators and operators can see when, where, and how long a vessel fished, reducing opportunities for illegal operations.

2. Enforcing Licensed Boundaries

With geofencing, the Pico system allows authorities or operators to define authorized fishing areas and restricted zones (such as marine reserves, EEZ limits, or neighboring waters).

• The system triggers alerts when a vessel enters or exits those zones.
• Helps authorities detect boundary violations in real time.
• Supports enforcement actions or license reviews based on actual movement data.

This is particularly valuable for Nigeria’s EEZ, where vessels often drift into unauthorized or unlicensed waters.

3. Supporting Fisheries Monitoring and Evidence-Based Management

The Pico VMS continuously records:

• Vessel speed and location patterns
• Duration of fishing operations
• Entry and exit from fishing grounds

These data allow regulators to analyze fishing effort and patterns, identify potential unreported activity, and cross-verify declared catches with actual time spent fishing. Even if the device doesn’t record the catch, it provides the behavioral evidence needed to flag suspicious or illegal activity.

4. Deterrence Through Accountability

Knowing that every vessel movement is being tracked discourages crews from:

• Fishing without licenses
• Turning off trackers
• Transferring catches at sea
• Operating in marine protected areas

The Pico’s tamper detection system ensures any attempt to disable tracking is immediately logged — a critical deterrent against IUU behavior.

5. Integration With Fisheries and Compliance Systems

The Pico and Pico Titan integrate seamlessly with the Nexus analytics platform, allowing:

• Fisheries departments to view live vessel positions.
• Automatic alerts for rule violations.
• Generation of compliance reports for enforcement or auditing.
• Optional pairing with the Immerse Camera for visual verification of catches — advancing electronic monitoring capability.

Summary: How Pico Helps Fight IUU Fishing