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Mauritius: Time to Close Port to Toothfish Pirates - Greenpeace SaysMauritius, 4th April 2000 --- Greenpeace today called on Mauritius to close its port to pirate fishing vessels. The environmental group, on board its vessel the MV Arctic Sunrise currently in Port Louis, Mauritius, released a new report detailing the role of Mauritius in the trans shipment of Patagonian toothfish (also called Chilean sea-bass) (2), a species threatened by illegal and unregulated fishing. Mauritius is the primary port used by the pirate vessels to land illegally caught Chilean sea-bass from the Southern Ocean around Antarctica and trans-ship it around the world. Shipments of toothfish from Mauritius go to the USA, Japan, Chile, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. This is Greenpeace’s second visit to Mauritius. Last year, the environmental group caught the Spanish-owned and Belize-flagged pirate vessel “Salvora” fishing illegally for toothfish in the French waters around subantarctic Kerguelen Island. It then chased the Salvora for 16 days and about 3000 nautical miles to Mauritius. Mauritian (and French) inspectors found 170 tonnes of toothfish onboard and eventually denied the vessel permission to land its fish on this occasion. “Last year the Mauritian Government said it would join the fight against pirate fishing for Chilean sea-bass”, said Denise Boyd, Greenpeace campaigner onboard the MV Arctic Sunrise. “Yet one year later, it is clear that the government has not lived up to these fine words. Even the Salvora – now called “Polar” – has been allowed to land its catches of toothfish in Mauritius again”. Mauritius has a chance to lead the way internationally in the fight to end pirate fishing by closing its ports to pirate vessels that seek to land and tranship toothfish. This fishery, that is having such a devastating effect on Antarctica’s marine environment, must be stopped, and Mauritius can play a key role in saving both the fish and the seabirds. Pirate fishing is driving the Patagonian toothfish towards commercial extinction. Scientists estimate that the toothfish will become commercially extinct within two years if pirate fishing continues. Toothfish plays an important role in Antarctic’s marine ecosystem. Pirate vessels also hook and drown between 60,000 and 100,000 seabirds each year in their fishing gear – including petrels and endangered species of albatross. “We demonstrated last year that while the pirate vessels claim their catches are “legal”, the Mauritian authorities have no way of knowing if this is true”, said Boyd. “Because many of the vessels landing toothfish here have a history of illegal fishing or have been seen in the distant and isolated toothfish fishing grounds, we believe that Mauritius has every reason to doubt the truth of these claims”. The MV Arctic Sunrise has steamed straight from the toothfish fishing grounds where campaigners chased one pirate vessel, the Grand Prince, and found three sets of abandoned longline fishing gear. On March 20th, the Arctic Sunrise crew hauled 5 km of longline from the ocean floor and freed 58 toothfish and 4 rays from its hooks. Altogether, the MV Arctic Sunrise crew hauled 12 km of longline onboard during the expedition.
See all: Pirate Fishing Expedition 2000 press releases |
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