Vigilance

In the shady, shifting world of pirate fishing, flags and vessel names can change with the seasons. Accustomed to operating free from scrutiny, Central Atlantic tuna pirates were surprised in May 2000 when the Greenpeace ship MV Greenpeace appeared to remind them of the law

Pirate fishing exploits vulnerable fisheries and uses methods that cause extensive, "collateral damage" to non-target species, including sea turtles, sharks, dolphins and endangered sea birds like the albatross.

Severe challenges remain, but in 2000 Greenpeace scored a major success against pirate fishing when the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) banned the import of tuna fish from flag-of-convenience countries, nations which effectively provide cover for pirate fishing vessels.

"We were in the Atlantic with the aim of getting visual evidence of pirate fishing in action - and to take action against the pirates!

The first ship we found gave us a friendly reception - after they realised we weren't another fishing vessel! We explained our campaign pirate fishing and that we wanted to document the activity, and they said "Yes, you can come."

The ship was Taiwanese, but flying a Belize flag of convenience (FOC). The captain and the fishing master were Japanese, the chief engineer Taiwanese and the crew Chinese teenagers. These vessels stay at sea for the entire year and the crew work terrible hours - five to six hours at -60º. Conditions on this ship seemed OK, but we'd heard many stories about abuses - losing fingers or toes due to cold.

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