Windward Expands AI Insights to Manage IUU Fishing

17 May 2022

Windward Ltd.

("Windward", "the Company" or "the Group")

Windward Expands its AI insights to Manage Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) Fishing

Windward's AI platform will provide law enforcement and government agencies a holistic view of the implications of IUU fishing

London, UK, May 17, 2022 - Windward (LSE: WNWD), the leading Maritime AI company, announced today the expansion of its maritime risk Insights platform to include illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. The expansion will allow new and existing customers, including law enforcement and government authorities to have a comprehensive view of IUU fishing related risks through AI-powered behavioural models that analyse and flag all fishing vessels and supporting fleets involved.

IUU fishing is one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems and fish-based economies to the extent that it has replaced piracy as the top maritime security threat by the US Coast Guard. IUU fishing has a significant environmental impact with an estimated fifth of fish being captured illegally, a significant threat to the marine ecosystem and survival of fish species. 

However, the implications of IUU fishing go beyond environmental concerns into economic and geopolitical issues. In recent years, domestic and long-distance fishing fleets have become tools used by nations for maintaining presence, asserting power, and enabling geopolitical expansion. It is therefore critical for authorities to closely monitor these fishing fleets with a clear overview of all actors involved including connected countries, companies, and vessel owners. 

Windward's behaviour-based model, powered by cutting edge AI and domain expertise, is designed to help law enforcement entities and intelligence units look further than basic monitoring of illegal fishing. Windward's AI insights help support investigations of the broader criminal and political implications of such fishing operations including human trafficking, food fraud, tax evasion, and forced labour violations. 

Matan Peled, Co-Founder and Head of US Business at Windward said:

"Illegal fishing is a major concern in and of itself, but it's also a symptom of other issues plaguing the maritime industry. Fishing ships that engage in IUU fishing are quite often involved with slave labour and other criminal activity, in some cases on behalf of foreign governments encroaching on other sovereign governments' exclusive economic zones.

Governmental authorities need to move beyond siloed methods of maritime domain awareness and gain a holistic view of malignant actors to mitigate the geopolitical, economic, and environmental risks involved with IUU fishing." 

Windward's AI platform is powered by advanced machine learning and behavioural analytics models, empowering its clients across the government, finance, shipping, energy sectors, and beyond to optimize business practices and efficiently navigate all aspects of maritime risk in real-time.

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About Windward

Windward (LON:WNWD), is the leading Predictive Intelligence company fusing AI and big data to digitalize the global maritime industry, enabling organizations to achieve business and operational readiness. Windward's AI-powered solution allows stakeholders including banks, commodity traders, insurers, and major energy and shipping companies to make real time, predictive intelligence-driven decisions, providing a 360° view of the maritime ecosystem and its broader impact on safety, security, finance, and business. The company is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. For more information visit  windward.ai.

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