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Across the Southern Ocean, a “gold rush” of illegal fishing has
ransacked the toothfish population. This commercial exploitation began
in the early 1990s and poses a serious threat to the species’ survival.
Unfortunately, toothfish aren’t the only victims of the pirate factory ships. Fishing lines can be up to 100 kilometres long and carry thousands of baited hooks. In the past year, up to 90,000 seabirds, including endangered species of albatross, were caught and drowned as bycatch.
The body responsible for conserving toothfish is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). It reports that illegal fishing is on the rise. An analysis of the trade in toothfish products during 2000 estimates that the pirate catch represented over 80% of the total CCAMLR-reported catch.
Pirate ships have devised ways of getting around CCAMLR’s management plans. They poach toothfish within Australian waters around Heard Island and then unload the catch in poorly regulated ports like Mauritius. Or they launder the catch by transferring it to another ship at sea. These ships then claim they caught the fish outside Australian or CCAMLR waters, beyond the reach of regulation.
Pirate companies often buy and fly flags of convenience (FOC) from countries whose flags are for sale with no questions asked. They do this to dodge fishing rules set by their own countries and the international community
CCAMLR's Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requires flag states to verify the position of their ships via a satellite beacon system before issuing documents stating where the fish were caught. But expecting a flag state to do the right thing without an independent check can be risky. Pirate fishers simply tell the flag state where they caught the fish and the flag state provides a number to document the catch.
Unfortunately, toothfish aren’t the only victims of the pirate factory ships. Fishing lines can be up to 100 kilometres long and carry thousands of baited hooks. In the past year, up to 90,000 seabirds, including endangered species of albatross, were caught and drowned as bycatch.
The body responsible for conserving toothfish is the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). It reports that illegal fishing is on the rise. An analysis of the trade in toothfish products during 2000 estimates that the pirate catch represented over 80% of the total CCAMLR-reported catch.
Pirate ships have devised ways of getting around CCAMLR’s management plans. They poach toothfish within Australian waters around Heard Island and then unload the catch in poorly regulated ports like Mauritius. Or they launder the catch by transferring it to another ship at sea. These ships then claim they caught the fish outside Australian or CCAMLR waters, beyond the reach of regulation.
Pirate companies often buy and fly flags of convenience (FOC) from countries whose flags are for sale with no questions asked. They do this to dodge fishing rules set by their own countries and the international community
CCAMLR's Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) requires flag states to verify the position of their ships via a satellite beacon system before issuing documents stating where the fish were caught. But expecting a flag state to do the right thing without an independent check can be risky. Pirate fishers simply tell the flag state where they caught the fish and the flag state provides a number to document the catch.
