Representing Archipelago at SEAFDEC’s Indo-Pacific IUU Fishing Workshop

Earlier this month, our Hardware Product Manager, Colin Bishop, represented Archipelago at the SEAFDEC Workshop on Strengthening Regional Fisheries Governance and Technology Integration to Combat IUU Fishing in the Indo-Pacific.

The workshop brought together participants from across the ASEAN Member States to address the growing challenge of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the region. Sessions focused on the critical role that Monitoring, Control, and Surveillance (MCS) technologies play in strengthening fisheries governance, with presentations and demonstrations covering satellite vessel monitoring, AI-driven analytics platforms, electronic logbook solutions, and onboard monitoring systems.

Colin presented during the technology showcase session on “Sustainable Fisheries Programs and Monitoring Initiatives,” highlighting how we have supported IUU prevention efforts through monitoring programs in Canada, the United States, and across the Asia-Pacific region. His presentation explored how different technologies, including remote sensing, onboard electronic monitoring, and port-based enforcement measures, can be employed together to support adaptable and holistic fisheries management. Rather than relying on any single tool, the discussion emphasized how layering complementary technologies across the monitoring chain creates stronger, more resilient oversight programs.

This perspective reflects how we approach fisheries monitoring more broadly. Over more than 45 years, we have built and supported programs that span the full monitoring workflow, from data capture on the water through to review, analysis, and reporting onshore. That experience, developed across more than 30 countries, has reinforced our belief in designing monitoring systems that can scale and adapt to the specific needs of each fishery and region.

The workshop was a valuable opportunity to engage directly with ASEAN Member States and to share lessons we have learned from decades of program deployment in diverse regulatory and operational environments.

We would like to thank SEAFDEC for bringing this community together and for the opportunity to work directly with the member states in attendance. We are also grateful to Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans for its ongoing role in supporting IUU prevention and capacity building initiatives as part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, with special thanks to Senior Program Officer Dustin De Gagne of DFO’s International Fisheries Enforcement Program.

To learn more about the workshop, visit the official event page: https://www.seafdec.or.th/iuu-events/combat-iuu-indo-pacific-2026/