MDA Maritime Insights Platform to provide
maritime domain awareness and dark vessel detection in
Indo-Pacific Region
BRAMPTON, ON, June 29,
2023 /CNW/ - MDA Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a leading provider
of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global
space industry, today announced a two-year contract with up to
three optional years with the Government of Canada through the Department of Fisheries and
Oceans (DFO) to help counter illegal, unregulated, and unreported
(IUU) fishing in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to the United Nations, illegal fishing is the planet's
sixth largest crime. The Indo-Pacific region is home to the
majority of the world's coral reefs and includes the largest
diversity of fish. MDA Maritime Insights platform, which leverages
MDA's world-renowned RADARSAT-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR),
combines multiple satellite data sources to track and identify IUU
fishing activity including dark vessel detection. Together, they
can see hundreds of kilometres in a single image, day or night and
through all weather conditions, creating a powerful asset for
combatting IUU fishing.
"Our ocean surfaces are enormous and incredibly hard to monitor,
giving those who seek to perpetrate crime on the water confidence
that they will be undetected," said Mike
Greenley, CEO of MDA. "Space-based Earth observation gives
us a valuable vantage point to see what we can't on the ground or
from the water to help break that cycle. We are proud to support
the Government of Canada and other
nations with MDA data and insights to help combat the illegal
activity that is putting our ocean ecosystems at risk."
MDA is an active participant in the fight against IUU fishing,
providing near real-time monitoring, data and insight of fishing
activity to nations through the Government of Canada. It works with DFO and international
fisheries agencies to provide actionable maritime intelligence data
that addresses dark vessel detection and supports maritime
enforcement initiatives. The Government of Canada has been using MDA technology in
support of the Government of Ecuador to monitor the protected ocean
ecosystems surrounding the Galapagos Islands since 2021.
"Detecting, tracking and intercepting vessels engaged in IUU
fishing will help protect the world's ocean ecosystems and the
livelihoods of law-abiding fish harvesters worldwide and here in
Canada. This will support the
protection of biodiversity throughout the Indo-Pacific region from
threats of IUU fishing," said the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister
of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
ABOUT MDA
Serving the world from its Canadian home and global offices, MDA
(TSX: MDA) is an international space mission partner and a
robotics, satellite systems and geointelligence pioneer with a
50-year story of firsts on and above the Earth. With over 2,700
employees across Canada, the US
and the UK, MDA is leading the charge towards viable Moon colonies,
enhanced Earth observation, communication in a hyper-connected
world, and more. With a track record of making space ambitions come
true, MDA enables highly skilled people to continually push
boundaries, tackle big challenges, and imagine solutions that
inspire and endure to change the world for the better, on the
ground and in the stars. Learn more by visiting mda.space.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward–looking information within
the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects
the Company's current expectations regarding future events.
Forward–looking information is based on a number of assumptions and
is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which
are beyond the Company's control, which could cause actual results
and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or
implied by such forward–looking information. Such risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the factors
discussed under "Risk Factors" in MDA's Annual Information Form
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. MDA does not undertake
any obligation to update such forward–looking information, whether
as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except
as expressly required by applicable law.
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SOURCE MDA Ltd.