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SpainSpain is home to fishing companies that own a number of toothfish pirate vessels. Many of these companies use flags-of-convenience to hide their owners' true identity. The latest example came to light when flag-of-convenience country Panama took France to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over the arrest and detention of the pirate fishing vessel "Camouco". It was confirmed that although the vessel was flagged to Panama, two Spanish companies owned it.Contact the Spanish government today
Sample Letter Sr. D. Jesús María Posada Moreno I am extremely concerned about the uncontrolled pirate fishing for toothfish in the waters of the Southern Ocean. Scientists estimate that at the current rate of fishing, the fishery would collapse within two years. In addition, many thousands of vulnerable species of seabirds, such as albatrosses and petrels, are dying on hooks intended to catch toothfish. The entire Southern Ocean ecosystem is at risk. Spanish companies have been directly implicated in the ownership of vessels fishing illegally for toothfish in the Southern Ocean. I demand that the involvement of Spain in the outrageous fish piracy ends, and that this government take steps such as enacting domestic legislation to discourage the involvement of Spanish companies from profiting at the expense of this remote and fragile place. Spain is a market for toothfish. The only reason that the pirate fishery for toothfish exists is because high-value markets are available to sell these fish. Pirate fishing companies will continue to find ways to disguise their trade in illegally caught fish as long as there is toothfish caught under license on the market. It has been recognised that CCAMLR's Catch Documentation Scheme will be insufficient to end the trade in illegally caught toothfish. I am very concerned that consumers and fish buyers cannot be confident that a pirate vessel did not catch the toothfish in their supermarkets and restaurants. Until pirate fishing in the Southern Ocean is eliminated and seabirds are no longer killed, I demand that the Spanish government ban trade in toothfish. As a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), Spain has both the opportunity and responsibility to act on behalf of this fragile ecosystem. I urge you to demand a moratorium on fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean, backed by a trade ban, until the pirate fishing is eliminated. We should oppose the resumption of fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean until it can be demonstrated that the fishery can withstand the impact of commercial fishing and that effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are in place to prevent the return of pirate vessels.
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