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Release: 8 May 2000 CENTRAL ATLANTIC/AMSTERDAM - Greenpeace today confiscated several kilometres of longline set by the Cambodian-flagged pirate vessel 'Benny 87' in the international waters of the Atlantic Ocean, some 500 miles west of Angola. The international environmental group decided to take enforcement action against the pirate vessel since the 'Benny 87' continued to ignore international regulations for the conservation of tuna and other migratory species in the Atlantic. On Sunday 7th May, the 'Benny 87' transhipped an estimated 70 tonnes of bigeye tuna (averaging 80 kilos apiece), marlin and swordfish to the cargo vessel Hatsukari. The Hatsukari is flagged to Panama and owned by a Japanese company (Atlas Marine Co. Ltd.). Greenpeace had informed both vessels that they were operating in violation of the rules established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). However, both vessels ignored the information, continued the transhipment, and the 'Benny 87' then resumed fishing this morning. Greenpeace has also called on Cambodia, as the flag state responsible for ensuring that the 'Benny 87' and any other fishing vessel flying its flag abides by international regulations, to take immediate enforcement action against the 'Benny 87'. Cambodia is not a member of ICCAT and any non-member vessel sighted in ICCAT convention area, such as the Central Atlantic, is presumed by ICCAT to be undermining ICCAT's international conservation regulations (1). "Flag of convenience states - such as Belize, Honduras, and Cambodia - allow fishing vessels flying their flags to break the rules on the high seas, but we will not let these pirate vessels off the hook", said Helene Bours, Greenpeace campaigner onboard the MV Greenpeace. "Pirate fishing is a threat to fish stocks and marine biodiversity worldwide, and makes a mockery of international efforts to properly manage fisheries and protect the marine environment. It must stop immediately". Greenpeace has coined the phrase "pirate fishing" to describe the increasing problem of flag of convenience (FOC) fishing. Pirates operate the world over, from Antarctic oceans to the Mediterranean Sea, from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific. They move from fishery to fishery taking as much fish as they can catch. They ignore international regulation and are indifferent to any impacts, direct or indirect, they have on fish stocks or any other marine species caught or tangled in their fishing gear. Greenpeace estimates that there are over 1,300 flag of convenience vessels fishing worldwide. The four top FOC countries - Belize, Honduras, Panama, St Vincent and the Grenadines - count for over 1,100 of these vessels. Pirate fishing continues to be a threat to fish and other marine species worldwide, despite the regulations adopted by international fisheries treaty organizations such as ICCAT. Greenpeace is calling on the European Union and other governments to: ·
close ports to FOC fishing vessels and fisheries-related support and transport
vessels · close markets to FOC-caught fish FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: - Helene
Bours, Greenpeace International on board the MV Greenpeace, satellite
phone +871 62 44 53 210 ($10 per minute) Stills available,
mobile +31 6 53 81 91 21
(1) ICCAT
Recommendation 98-11 states: Article 1 - "A vessel flying the flag
of a non-contracting party, entity or fishing entity,
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