Abstract
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Ocean Innovators program to combat illegal fishing and destructive fishing practices, benefiting Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). One of the selected projects, 'Nereus', currently being developed by Surrey Space Centre (SSC) and Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), utilises AI and satellite data fusion to monitor fishing vessel activity in Mauritius' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The project combines various satellite technologies, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). This paper analyses multi-temporal SAR and AIS data to identify "dark" ships that are not transmitting AIS signals. The methodology is applied to the Mauritius EEZ and MPAs, providing authorities with valuable information for informed decision-making and effective Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).