The Greenpeace ship M/V Arctic Sunrise returned in 2000 to Antarctica's Southern Ocean to find, expose, and stop pirate fishing vessels currently wiping out the Patagonian toothfish (also known as Chilean Sea Bass).

As fish stocks around the world are decimated by overfishing, companies are joining the "gold rush" pirate fishery for Patagonian toothfish in Southern Ocean. Scientists estimate that at the current rate of pirate fishing, stocks of toothfish will collapse within two years. Many thousands of threatened and endangered sea birds are hooked and drowned on the pirates' fishing gear - including the majestic albatross.

The entire Southern Ocean ecosystem is at risk.

New Report on the pirate port of Mauritius

On April 5, 2000 the crew of the M/V Arctic Sunrise caught the pirate fishing vessel "Rita" landing 90 tonnes of Patagonian toothfish in Mauritius. You'll find a profile of the Rita in our new report which documents how the Indian Ocean island remains the Number 1 port for pirate-caught toothfish landings. Check out the expedition section for the latest on the Sunrise.