Python — gfw-api-python-client

The gfw-api-python-client package provides Python users with direct access to Global Fishing Watch API v3. It enables seamless integration into Python-based workflows, including Jupyter notebooks and data scripts.

📌 Important: gfw-api-python-client version 1 corresponds to Global Fishing Watch API version 3. As of April 30, 2024, API v3 is the standard.

Features

• Built-in functions for Vessels identity, Events, Vessel Insights, apparent Fishing Effort (4Wings), and SAR vessel detections APIs.
• Simple authentication and token management.
• Jupyter notebook examples for quick testing and exploration.
• Support for filtering, pagination, and spatial/temporal parameters.
• Compatible with pandas, geopandas, and Jupyter.

Installation

Requires Python ≥ 3.11. A virtual environment is recommended.

pip install gfw-api-python-client

Authentication

Request an API token from the GFW API Portal, then set it as the GFW_API_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable before instantiating the client.

import os
import gfwapiclient as gfw

access_token = os.environ.get(
    "GFW_API_ACCESS_TOKEN",
    "<OR_PASTE_YOUR_GFW_API_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE>",
)

gfw_client = gfw.Client(
    access_token=access_token,
)

Quick start

The client is async-first — API methods are called with await.

vessel_search_result = await gfw_client.vessels.search_vessels(
    query="412331038",
)

To learn more, visit the GitHub python-client official page.