AIS-based profiling of fishing vessels falls short as a 'proof of concept' for identifying forced labor at sea

McDonald et al. (1) argue that labor conditions in fisheries can be discerned from the movement and characteristics of fishing vessels. We recognize the authors’ effort, yet have strong reservations regarding their 1) limited dataset, 2) assumptions, and 3) model validation. Forced labor is a serious human rights violation, and any scientific claims potentially informing policy must be considered with particular care to best promote efforts toward ending human terror and supporting survivors. We, therefore, urge that the authors consider how their efforts may misinform policy. The authors create profiles from vessels reported to have committed labor abuses, search for similar profiles in a database of 16,000 vessels … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: wilf.swartz{at}dal.ca. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1