Feature story - March 28, 2006
We have arrested a pirate fishing vessel stealing fish off the coast of Guinea, taking a Guinean Navy officer and a fisheries inspector and working with crew from the Esperanza and the Environmental Justice Foundation. Our onboard campaigner, Sarah Duthie, said, "Today we found one pirate – but we know there is a fleet of them out here and in every other ocean, stealing fish every day.”
Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 is arrested after having been found fishing illegally inside the Guinean Exclusive Economy Zone EEZ. In the picture the guinean fishery inspectors and the captain of the vessel who failed to produce valid fishing license.
The Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 is arrested after having been found fishing illegally inside the Guinean Exclusive Economy Zone EEZ.
Aerial view of the Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 prior its arrest for fishing illegally inside the Guinean Exclusive Economy Zone EEZ.
At first light this morning, the Greenpeace helicopter flew over
agroup of fishing vessels 60 miles off the coast of Guinea. One was
noton the list of ships authorized to fish. An inflatable boat
waslaunched from the Greenpeace ship M.Y Esperanza, taking a
Guinean Navyofficer and a fisheries inspector with crew from
Greenpeace and theEnvironmental Justice Foundation on board.
After confirming the ship, the Lian Run No 14 - one of afamily
of Chinese vessels observed in the area - had no license, theship
was arrested. The Esperanza will now escort her to Conakry andhand
her over to officials on shore.
The captain of the Lian Run No 14 claimed documentation
waslodged in Las Palmas - the fish laundering capital of the world.
Inaddition, all the boxes being used to pack the stolen fish bore
thenames of other vessels, proving that even licensed vessels
collaboratewith the pirates to sell illegally caught fish on the
market.
Fish boxes with the names of seven other vessels were found
onboard the Lian Run No 14, proving how licensed vessels are
packingtheir boxes with illegal catch from the Lian Run No 14.
"The fact that they had boxes on board destined for Europe
andclaimed to be represented in Las Palmas shows a clear link
between thefood being stolen from Africa and the fish being served
on the dinnertables of Europe," said Helene Bours of the
Environmental JusticeFoundation.
Check out the weblog for the latest updates and more great
pictures
Talk to us
Chat to campaigners onboard the Esperanza about the pirate arrest
Ocean Defender TV
Check out the new video blog from off the coast of Guinea where Sara reveals what we've really been up to lately