Fishing Vessel Monitoring Systems: Past, Present and Future

VMS: Past, Present and Future 11
from a range of commercially available models. This is particularly true of distantwater
vessels that participate in VMS systems of several countries, most of which
sell licenses as a means of earning income. Few coastal states that welcome
foreign vessels have the political clout to impose stringent requirements as to VMS
equipment, most of them being, in addition to the license fees received, net
recipients of foreign aid from the countries whose fleets fish their waters.
The security quality of this standard equipment, in terms of tamper proofing, varies
widely. Furthermore, from the time of purchase, this equipment is in his
possession, or under his control, and is only relatively rarely subject to inspection. It
is not difficult to imagine, in such a context, that an operator who participates in
illegal fishing activities could conspire to corrupt VMS data so as to mislead the
authorities by, in the first instance, choosing equipment which he deems most
vulnerable to modification for this purpose. Having done so, he can then, virtually
at his leisure, carry out the work necessary to corrupt the data.
3.2 VMS equipment types
In this connection, it is useful to examine a number of different types of
transceiver equipment commonly used around the globe in fisheries
management. Typically, a transceiver is installed on-board a fishing vessel and
used to record the position of the vessel at frequent intervals throughout its
voyage. These position reports are then transmitted via satellite back to an FMC
under the control of the local fisheries management authority. Reports may be
transmitted either in real-time or on a store and forward basis, depending on the
constraints imposed by the satellite communications system employed.
The use of this type of equipment for vessel monitoring displays one important
constraint – the equipment must be installed on a fishing vessel and operate
autonomously, relying on the good will of the vessel’s crew to leave the
equipment undisturbed. Since large financial gain may be obtained by a fishing
vessel that is able to fish in regions or at times when it is prohibited from doing
so, there is considerable incentive to tamper with the transceiver equipment.
This tampering may aim to either:
• Prevent position reports from being obtained;
• Prevent position reports from being transmitted back to the VMS;
• Falsify position reports without the knowledge of the VMS.
3.3 Tampering suspects
Tampering may be carried out or aided by a range of parties with particular
interests and resources to devote to tampering, including: