Another Toothfish Pirate Named

When: Hot on the heels of the arrival of the arrested Uruguayan boat Viarsa 1 in Fremantle Western Australia on Friday (Oct 3) the West Australian based Southern Champion (operated by Perth based Austral Fisheries) has returned to its home port of Albany with damming evidence of yet more illegal fishing in Australia’s exclusive economic zone (see media statement from Federal Fisheries Minister Ian Mc Donald " International cooperation sought against illegal fishing"

Where: Austral Fisheries has broadcast quality footage of the incident that clearly provides evidence of the illegal activities in the Australian fishing zone. It includes shots of the ALOS longline fishing, electronic equipment showing the position of the boat in Australian waters with its name and call signs covered and navigation lights out (a pirate ploy to avoid detection) It also has an interview with the Southern Champion’s skipper Peter Goldsworthy describing the frustration leading to the crew throwing eggs at the pirates. There are also general vision shots of the Southern Champion arriving In Albany where she is currently unloading. The incident took place at 6pm HIMI time on September 20th

Why: This incident yet again highlights the value of cooperative actions between Government and industry to eliminate illegal fishing operators from the southern oceans and CCAMLR. It shows there is a need to maintain ongoing and concerted pressure on CCAMLR member governments to put an end to illegal fishing before legal operators are put out of business.

In figures recently released in the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) magazine Winter 2003 it has been estimated that over 20,350 tonnes of toothfish was taken illegally from Australian waters between 1995/96 and 2001/2002. At a value of $US 10 per kilo for processed fish, this means that around $AUS 300, million of Australian fish has been stolen by these pirates.