Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio is teaming up with Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary Google to launch an initiative that will track illegal fishing which has proved to be one of the rampant environmental problems that the world is currently facing.
DiCaprio gave a speech during an ocean conference held by the State Department, where he pointed out the need for people to conserve resources. The Hollywood actor revealed a free online tool that can be used to track global fishing activities. He also urged people to check out Global Fishing Watch out which was created by an advocacy group known as Oceana.
“They are … pushing our oceans to the very brink. Treating our oceans as an endless resource and a dumping ground for our waste, ” stated DiCaprio in his speech.
Illegal fishing has turned out to be a huge problem and it has been depleting fish stocks throughout the globe. Scientists and environmentalists claim that illegal fishing is one of the major threats to biodiversity and long-term stability of ocean life. There have been some efforts to curb illegal fishing but they have proved ineffective against widespread illegal fishing practices.
The Global Fishing Watch tool revealed by Google and DiCaprio is a surveillance system that keeps track of global fishing activities from Space. The idea is that the tool can be used to monitor the oceans to identify illegal fishing. Once identified, the marine authorities can be notified so that they can take action. This method is expected to be more effective than any other solution that has been used to date.
“Today, this unprecedented technology is available to everyone in the world. I encourage everyone to go check it out,” said DiCaprio at the event.
John Amos, one of the partners in the project stated that the tool is a positive step forward because it will get the public involved. They will, therefore, get an opportunity to see what is happening in the ocean.
Alphabet stock closed the latest trading session at $128.65, down by $0.42 or 0.33% from the previous trading session. The stock had a trading volume of 14.96 million shares.
