Defining fishing grounds variability with Automatic Identification System (AIS)

Estimates of the spatial distribution and intensity of fishing activity are necessary to provide relevant information for natural resources management, impact assessment and for maritime spatial planning. However, considering the need for a multi-scale approach, the access to such high-resolution information still remains a challenge.This research focuses on semi-automatic mapping of dredges gears fishing grounds with fishing intensity estimates from AIS data with a high spatial resolution. An application is conducted in bay of Brest in partnership with the local fishermen committee (Comité Départemental des Pêches Maritime et des Elevages Marin du Finistère).