A high angle shot of a fishing boat pulling up a net of fish. The ocean is dark and scary, and in the foreground is a flock of flying birds attracted to the fish.

At a surface level, most people understand that there’s a growing problem with overfishing and dwindling levels of fish stocks. But how bad is it really, who’s responsible, and what action be taken?

Dedicated to tackling some of the planet’s most ambitious challenges, Minderoo Foundation set out to bring accountability to countries’ fishing practices by looking deeper at the problem, with the launch of a world-first Global Fishing Index. Based on complex research and data spanning 142 countries and 1,465 fish stocks, the Index was created to highlight the shortfalls of nations, policy-makers and companies fishing practices.

The sheer complexity and scale of this undertaking required a method of organising and representing its data and findings. An interface that could make this vast amount of data accessible, informative and engaging. One that would communicate clear and impactful results of each country, while allowing for easy cross-country comparison.

Embedding deeply with the Minderoo Foundation research team, we co-created a high-performing, intuitive, yet robust tool that breaks down the critical information of the Global Fishing Index to the scientific community, industry and policy-makers alike.

co-designing representations of complex data

Working closely to co-design with the Minderoo Foundation research team, our team were able to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of the project as research and findings came to light. Many iterations of data visualisation were explored to give the clearest representation of the data.

Rough sketches of the app from the planning process.
A series of tables and graphics that show visually the problems of overfishing.
Our Global Fishing Index is a wake-up call to governments and businesses around the world. It's time to take accountability for the health of your fisheries, the size of your fishing fleets and the level of access provided to foreign fleets to fish your waters.
Dr. Andrew Forrest AO Chairman and Co-Founder, Minderoo Foundation

gfi findings

The results from the report are alarming to say the least – of the assessed stocks, 50% are overfished. Further, nearly 1 in 10 stocks have been driven to collapse. Most concerning though, is the lack of available data to measure and compare. The data simply isn’t there.

Black background with white copy that raises awareness about how almost half of fishing stocks have been depleted from over fishing.
White background with copy that raises awareness about how the majority of countries fail to meet global sustainability commitments.
Black background with white copy that says, '52% of the global catch since 1990 is from stocks that lack the data to say if they are sustainably fished or not.
Headline and body copy that raises awareness about key stakeholders. like fisherman, not being included in the management process.
Black background with white text in a sans serif. The headline says, 'C-Grade.' The body text says, 'Even the best performing countries recieve no higher than a 'C' grade.
Graphs and graphic system used in the design for the Global Fishing Index. Two screenshots of the Global Fishing Index. One screenshot shows key figures through a series of graphs, the other shows a Progress Score.

The Global Fishing Index gained international media attention. With the framework set, Minderoo Foundation now have a powerful platform to build upon for future Global Fishing Indexes. Furthermore, we’ve helped to highlight some of the critical gaps in global fisheries policies and data. David Attenborough writes “A most valuable ammunition in the fight for our ocean”.

Handwritten letter from Sir David Attenborough paper clipped to the Global Fishing Index 2021 report.
Five screenshots of media—articles and news stories—about the problem of overfishing.
We couldn’t have achieved this vision without the Anthologie team who helped bring the tool to life. Leaders and change-makers can now explore fisheries performance and challenges at a country level, providing a much needed platform to compare progress and share solutions.
Kendra Travaille Research Manager, Minderoo Foundation

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