Activists from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza interrupted an illegal transshipment and demonstrated against illegal fishing in a tuna-rich area called the Pacific Commons or High Sea Pockets.The illegal, unregistered purse seine vessels were caught fishing and transshipping in international waters near Indonesia, an area closed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the island nations’ governments to purse seine fishing.
The unnamed vessel with no flag or nationality but with Filipino crew was caught illegally transshipping its catch to a carrier vessel, the Lapu Lapu. The vessel name Lapu Lapu is registered with the WCPFC as an Indonesian purse seiner of 178.99 M/T.
“It is outrageous and completely unacceptable that these vessels and their owners violated efforts by the region to protect their tuna stocks, key to their food security and economic prosperity. We call on the members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) to take action on these vessels, prosecuting the vessel owners and blacklisting them from further fishing. In addition, seafood companies must end their complicity in this kind of crime by refusing to source tuna from the Pacific Commons, “added Lagi Toribau, Campaigner on board the Esperanza.
Greenpeace is currently engaged in its “Defending Our Pacific†expedition, a campaign to stop the unsustainable plunder of Pacific tuna by ending the use of destructive fishing practices, an end to illegal fishing and the creation of marine reserves in the Pacific Commons. Activists on board the ship have also removed three illegal floating Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) found in the Pacific Commons.
Pirate fishing is known to be particularly rampant in the high seas and areas such as the Pacific Commons where monitoring and surveillance is difficult. It is estimated between 21-46% of all fish caught in the Pacific is taken by pirate fishing ships such as this one.
“This case clearly demonstrates the urgent need to close the Pacific Commons to all fishing and ensure regional enforcement is ramped up,†said Mr. Toribau.
