Automated identification system for ships data as a proxy for marine vessel related stressors.

An increasing number of marine conservation initiatives rely on data from Automatic Identification System (AIS) to inform marine vessel traffic associated impact assessments and mitigation policy. However, a considerable proportion of vessel traffic is not captured by AIS in many regions of the world. Here we introduce two complementary techniques for collecting traffic data in the Canadian Salish Sea that rely on optical imagery.

Modeling the distribution of illicit oily discharges detected by aerial surveillance in western Canadian marine waters.

Oily discharges from vessel operations have been documented in Canada's Pacific region by the National Aerial Surveillance Program (NASP) since the early 1990s. We explored a number of regression methods to explain the distribution and counts per grid cell of oily discharges detected from 1998 to 2007 using independent predictor variables, while trying to address the large number of zeros present in the data. Best-fit models indicate that discharges are generally concentrated close to shore typically in association with small harbours, and with major commercial and tourist centers.

Visualization of spatial patterns and temporal trends for aerial surveillance of illegal oil discharges in western Canadian marine waters.

This paper examines the use of exploratory spatial analysis for identifying hotspots of shipping-based oil pollution in the Pacific Region of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone. It makes use of data collected from fiscal years 1997/1998 to 2005/2006 by the National Aerial Surveillance Program, the primary tool for monitoring and enforcing the provisions imposed by MARPOL 73/78. First, we present oil spill data as points in a "dot map" relative to coastlines, harbors and the aerial surveillance distribution.