The Red Quill Society exists to document, preserve, and protect evidence of environmental harm — particularly in regions and industries where oversight is weak, risk is high, and those affected cannot safely speak out.
We operate at the intersection of investigation, documentation, community protection, and environmental accountability.
Our work is grounded in evidence stewardship, ethical restraint, and legal responsibility. We exist to protect truth — not to sensationalise it.
This map shows the estimated total fishing vessel activity and the amount of this activity obscured by the suspected disabling of automatic identification systems (AIS) in areas with sufficient satellite reception. Areas with the highest fishing vessel activity and the highest fraction of activity obscured by disabling occur in three regions of concern for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing: near Argentina, Galapagos, and West Africa, and in the Northwest Pacific. In contrast, fisheries in waters near Alaska are some of the most intensively managed in the world.
Environmental harm often occurs in places where transparency is weakest and the cost of speaking out is highest.
Illegal fishing, toxic dumping, wildlife trafficking, land theft, and ecological destruction frequently unfold beyond public view — shielded by distance, complexity, or fear.
The Red Quill Society exists to ensure that silence is not the only option, and that evidence can be received, protected, and handled responsibly until it can be used safely and lawfully.
Red Quill Society undertakes five core functions:
Evidence Intake & Protection
Field Documentation & Verification
Field Documentation & Verification
Through The Hauntline, we receive information from whistle-blowers, fishers, scientists, port workers, rangers, and community observers who face personal, legal, or economic risk if they speak publicly.
Submissions are handled with strict security, discretion, and case-by-case assessment.
Field Documentation & Verification
Field Documentation & Verification
Field Documentation & Verification
Where appropriate and safe, we conduct field investigations to document environmental harm, verify claims, assess ecological impact, and preserve evidentiary integrity.
This work prioritises non-extractive, lawful, and community-respectful methods.
Evidence Preservation
Field Documentation & Verification
Evidence Preservation
We maintain secure, redundant documentation practices designed to protect material for long-term use by journalists, researchers, legal bodies, regulators, or affected communities.
Responsible Disclosure
Community & Source Protection
Community & Source Protection
Information is released deliberately — with legal, ethical, and contextual safeguards — or referred to appropriate authorities when thresholds are met.
We do not publish for speed, attention, or pressure.
Community & Source Protection
Community & Source Protection
Community & Source Protection
The safety and dignity of sources and communities come before exposure, recognition, or narrative.
Many submissions are archived without action to avoid unnecessary risk.
Red Quill Society does not:
- conduct advocacy campaigns or protests
- publish unverified allegations
- investigate individuals for the purpose of accusation
- act as a media outlet or law-enforcement body
- release information that endangers sources or communities
Our role is evidence stewardship — not judgment.
The Hauntline is a secure, encrypted reporting system operated by the Red Quill Society.
It exists to provide a protected pathway for information to reach an organisation capable of handling it responsibly.
Not all submissions lead to investigation.
Not all investigations lead to disclosure.
This restraint is intentional.
The Hauntline serves the mission — it does not define it.
Environmental accountability does not happen by accident.
It requires systems that protect people, preserve evidence, and resist pressure — even when the truth is inconvenient, expensive, or slow.
Red Quill Society exists to be that infrastructure.
