Greenpeace: Mauritius, Indian Ocean Haven for Pirate Fishing Vessels

Mauritius: Indian Ocean haven for pirate fishing vessels

Download a .pdf version of the report and its appendix.

Contents

What is Pirate Fishing?

Causes
Evading detection

Pirate Fishing and the Southern Ocean

Impacts:
Toothfish
Seabirds

The emergence of the toothfish fishery

Mauritius: Pirate Port

The Salvora Case

International Efforts

Mauritius: still harbouring pirates

Pirate Fishing: global problem

Mauritius:
challenge and opportunity

Also, check out our Pirates Gallery to see Greenpeace's list of recent activity in Mauritius

CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee estimates that over the last three years, as many as 191,700 seabirds have been hooked and drowned as bycatch on pirate longlines in the CCAMLR area alone.

The Black-browded albatross, one of 20 albatross species that inhabit the Southern Ocean. An estimated 60,000 - 100,000 seabirds meet their deaths each year on pirate long lines. Click on the photograph for a larger image.

Seabirds: innocent victims

The greatest single threat to the survival of most of the world’s 24 albatross species is longlining. All 19 species of Southern Ocean albatrosses are seriously at risk from drowning on pirate longlines.

CCAMLR’s Scientific Committee estimates that over the last three years, as many as 191,700 seabirds have been hooked and drowned as bycatch on pirate longlines in the CCAMLR area alone. This breaks down to 46,500 albatrosses, 7,200 giant petrels and 138,000 white-chinned petrels. Sadly, the true figure may be several times this figure. Such levels are unsustainable for these species, according to the Scientific Committee.

The emergence of the toothfish fishery
The Patagonian toothfish

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