Surrey Space Centre developing satellite maritime surveillance

Surrey Space Centre has been awarded funding to develop a real time application to help detect illegal fishing.

The venture will be carried out by the University of Surrey and the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) after funding was secured through the Ocean Innovation Challenge, run by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The project will design, develop and validate a nearly real-time monitoring tool able to detect illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) activities in the Mauritius Exclusive Economic Zone.

Globally, 20 per cent of the US$144 billion fishing market is lost to illegal activities, with Mauritius heavily reliant on the fishing industry to support its annual 1.5 per cent GDP growth.

The project, selected among more than 300 proposals, has undergone a technical and operational review, including social and environmental safeguards screening covering human rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability and climate change mitigation.

READ MORE: University of Surrey to form blockchain and metaverse academy