exactEarth Ltd. (“the Company”) (TSX: XCT), announces that it has signed an agreement with MDA to provide advanced Satellite-AIS data services as part of MDA’s recently announced Dark Vessel Detection (“DVD”) program for the Government of Canada. The DVD program is intended to detect and identify vessels that have switched off their AIS transponders and are engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (“IUU”) fishing.
IUU fishing is a global problem that results in significant economic loss – estimated at $23 billion per year by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada – and leads to considerable damage to the world’s fishing population and habitat. exactEarth is part of the MDA-led project that is supporting the Government of Canada’s commitment to help deter IUU fishing by using satellite technology to locate so-called “dark targets”, those whose AIS transponders have been switched off. Under the terms of its agreement with MDA, exactEarth will provide advanced global Satellite-AIS data services to support pilot trials of the DVD program.
“exactEarth has been working with the global fisheries community for the last ten years and we are very pleased to expand our relationship with MDA and to be a part of this leading-edge project to help the Government of Canada in its important fight against IUU,” said Peter Mabson, President and CEO of exactEarth. “IUU is a global issue and exactEarth’s advanced Satellite-AIS and small vessel tracking capabilities provide an important and comprehensive real time information source in helping to detect and locate vessels that may be engaged in this type of illegal behaviour.”
“MDA is pleased to play a critical role in helping the Government of Canada assert its leadership position in the prevention of IUU,” said Minda Suchan, VP of Geointelligence, MDA. “Combining exactEarth’s industry-leading Satellite-AIS data with imaging from satellites like RADARSAT-2 is an important part in identifying dark targets and tackling this global challenge. Thanks to the Government of Canada and our partners, these types of vessels are going to have much more difficulty avoiding detection in the future.”
For more information on the DVD program see:
Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2021/02/government-of-canada-launches-international-program-to-track-illegal-fishing-using-satellite-technology.html
MDA: https://mda.space/en/article/mda-contract-illegal-fishing-dark-vessel-detection
About exactEarth Ltd.
exactEarth is a leading provider of global maritime vessel data for ship tracking and maritime situational awareness solutions. Since its formation in 2009, exactEarth has pioneered a powerful new method of maritime surveillance called Satellite AIS and has delivered to its clients a view of maritime behaviours across all regions of the world’s oceans unrestricted by terrestrial limitations. exactEarth’s second-generation constellation, exactView RT, securely relays satellite-detected AIS vessel signals from any location on the earth’s surface to the ground in seconds – thus enabling global real-time vessel tracking. This unique capability consists of 58 advanced satellite payloads designed and built by L3Harris Technologies, Inc. under agreement with exactEarth and that are hosted onboard the Iridium NEXT constellation of satellites. www.exactearth.com
About MDA
Serving the world from its Canadian home and global offices, MDA is an international space mission partner and a robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a 50–year story of firsts on and above the Earth. With over 2,000 employees across Canada, the US and the UK, MDA is leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies, enhanced Earth observation, communication in a hyperconnected world, and more. With a track record of making space ambitions come true, MDA enables highly skilled people to continually push boundaries, tackle big challenges, and imagine solutions that inspire and endure to change the world for the better, on the ground and in the stars.
