BOREAL and SENTINEL spearheaded a pre-operational campaign from July to Novem-ber 2023 in French Guiana, aimed at tackling various challenges plaguing the territory, notably illegal fishing. These efforts were conducted under the jurisdiction of the French Guiana prefecture.
Combatting illegal fishing in French Guiana stands as a paramount concern for the government, prompting intensified surveillance and enforcement actions at sea. State services, operating under the authority of the French Guiana prefect, appointed by the government to oversee maritime affairs, consistently conduct heightened opera-tions throughout the year to intercept illegal fishing vessels.
In addition to routine employment of maritime surveillance aircraft, the Guyanese au-thorities ventured into the realm of long-range drone operation in 2023. Seeking to evaluate the drone’s efficacy in maritime surveillance, the state services in French Guiana engaged BOREAL SAS to coordinate a pre-operational campaign.
From July to November 2023, the drone was deployed for approximately sixty hours (across 12 sorties) along the French Guiana coastline to identify potential offenders en-gaged in illicit fishing practices.
The outcomes were unprecedented: over a hundred vessels were detected partaking in illegal fishing during the five-month trial period. Real-time image transmission facilitated prompt monitoring and intervention by state authorities.
Characterized by roughly twenty flights lasting several hours each, the entire campaign featured periods punctuated by daily missions. BOREAL drone’s aerial endeavors in the maritime domain covered a span of over 4000 km and surveyed an area of 10, ,000 km², operating up to 70 km away from the ground control station.
The BOREAL drone’s minimal acoustic footprint ensures discreet operations, enabling seamless surveillance in the maritime environment. The BOREAL drone’s minimal acoustic footprint ensures discreet operations, enabling seamless surveillance in the maritime environment. Through this campaign, French Guiana’s state services gleaned invaluable insights into the fishing patterns and modus operandi of illegal fishermen.
The success of this endeavor was made possible by the indispensable collaboration of the Sentinel teams, local partners of BOREAL SAS in French Guiana and operators of the drone, who played a pivotal role and offered unwavering support throughout the campaign.
