Google Earth captures fish traps that go unreported according to a new study.
A new study done by researchers found that Google Earth captures fish traps that are unreported. According to a study led by Dalal Al-Abdulrazzak from the University of British Columbia, there are 1,900 fishing traps from Google Earth images in 2005; a number that is double the amount that was originally reported.
Google Earth Captures Fish Traps â€" photo from Flickr user gletham GIS, Social, Mobile Tech Images
The fishing traps, also known as weirs, are found on the coastlines of the Persian Gulf and have dramatically increased over the years. While the increase has been documented, Google Earth has accidentally discovered that more weirs have developed than officially reported.
Al-Abdulrazzak told reporters,
“The first thing we did was survey the coast of the Persian Gulf and just started counting the numbers of weirs that we saw…Once they are in there and the tide starts receding, they are stuck…fisherman can just walk out and start collecting the fish.â€
Animal activists have long stated that the use of fishing traps have greatly hurt the fish population. The traps also have a tendency to catch other marine life as well such as dolphins, sharks and sea lions.
The traps manage to haul an annual amount of 34,000 tons of fish each year according to the new research. The official report states the annual amount as 5,908 for the six countries surrounding the Persian Gulf.
Al-Abdulrazzak explained that fisheries are the second most important resource in the region of the Persian Gulf next to oil, and if the escalation of weirs continues, the amount of fish in the area will greatly decrease in the long term. Moreover, the researcher stated that because the fish traps are located in shallow waters where juvenile fish are located, fisheries are trapping young fish that have not fully developed and spawned.
New Study Finds Google Earth Captures Fish Traps That Are Unreported.
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