A Comprehensive Monitoring and Assessment System for Multiple Fisheries Resources in the Northwest Pacific Based on Satellite Remote Sensing Technology

Monitoring the dynamics of ocean-going fishing vessels is essential for fisheries stock assessment and management. In this paper, coupled fishery and remote sensing methods were applied to propose a satellite-based fishery resource monitoring and assessment system (SFRMAS) that supported chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus), Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and neon flying squid (Ommastrephes bartramii) fishing activities in the northwest Pacific. A multispecies fishing vessel database was generated in the SFRMAS using visible infrared imaging radiometer suite day/night band (VIIRS/DNB) images, automatic identification system (AIS) data and multimarine remote sensing resources. The results showed that the VIIRS/DNB vessel detection (VVD) and AIS vessel detection approaches improved the extraction accuracy of multispecies fishing vessels. A high productivity area with a higher chlorophyll a concentration had the most concentrated distribution of mackerel vessels. The widest longitudinal migrations of the neon flying squid and the latitudinal ranges of Pacific saury were highly related to sea surface temperature (SST), which was well captured by the movement of the fishing vessels. In the SFRMAS, the accuracy of detected multispecies fishing days and fishing catches was mostly between 60 and 90%, which can provide data support for fisheries stock assessment and management.