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Find out how your country plays a role in the illegal decimation of the
Patagonian toothfish.
What do we mean by pirate fishing vessels
anyway?
Also, check out our of known pirate fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean.
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Chile
- CCAMLR country
- Licensed fishing country - Chile has licensed fisheries both
in its national waters and in the CCAMLR area. The presence of legal
fish on the market provides a convenient cover for the pirates to trade
their illegal fish. In November 1999 announced further exploratory fishing.
- Pirate home country - Although a CCAMLR member, Chile is home
to fishing companies that own or operate a significant number of toothfish
pirate vessels. Some of these companies use flags-of-convenience to
hide their owners' true identity. Some fish under licenses within the
Chilean EEZ for part of the year and fish illegally in the CCAMLR area
for the rest.
- International trader -- Chile is a major trader of toothfish
- caught both illegally and under license. In the first half of 1999,
44% of all toothfish imported into Japan and the USA came from Chile.
The Verdugo Group exports about 60% of all of frozen toothfish products
from Chile. Former Chilean Undersecretary of Fisheries during the Pinochet
years, Roberto Verdugo Gormaz heads this group which is said to be closely
associated with the large Japanese fish trading corporation Maruha.
When he left office, Verdugo bought himself a fishing fleet - the first
vessel being the notorious pirate Mar del Sur I. It is widely known
in the Chilean fishing industry that the Verdugo Group's trading activities
are mostly, but not solely, of illegally caught toothfish. Much of Verdugo's
activities are now based in Argentina.
- Pirate port - Although the Chilean government has introduced
measures to curb illegal landings in Chilean ports, landings of toothfish
caught illegally both in the Chilean EEZ and in CCAMLR waters still
occur.
- Market country - Toothfish is called merluza negra here.
Contact the government of Chile.
Visit Greenpeace Chile.
Click on the map to find out how your region plays a role in the illegal decimation of the Patagonian Toothfish.
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