In a bizarre high seas pursuit, an Australian fishery protection vessel has for the last 20 days and 6,000 miles been endeavoring to stop and board an Uruguayan trawler suspected of having a multimillion dollar illegal haul of the protected tooth fish. The Australians have now been joined by naval ships from South Africa and Great Britain.
This extraordinary episode is important for the future of the world’s fast declining fish stocks. It demonstrates that fishery authorities round the world are prepared to expend considerable cash and effort to enforce regulations.
Until now, pirate fishermen using illegal fine mesh nets miles long that sweep up every creature in their path, or who trawled for protected species like the rare tooth fish, could have made a run for it and expected their pursuers to give up.
No longer, it seems. In a display of doggedness, the Australian patrol vessel “The Southern Supporter” has hung on to the wake of the Uruguayan trawler Viarsa despite troubled seas, icebergs and blizzards in the Southern Ocean. These conditions have made it impossible for the authorities to board the suspect vessel. All they can do without endangering life and limb is to wait until the Viarsa’s master gives up or his vessel runs out of fuel.
The eventual outcome of the pursuit can hardly be in doubt. It is less certain how great the impact of the Viarsa’s capture will be on the hundreds, maybe thousands of other trawler men who are prepared to break the law and further damage fish stocks and other marine life.
If found guilty, the Uruguayan captain may not only face a huge fine but may lose his boat and his livelihood. But it should not be forgotten that had his illegal voyage succeeded he would have made an estimated $3.5 million. This is big money.
Clearly regulatory supervision cannot be confined to the high seas. Fish markets where illegal catches are landed and even of restaurants where a gourmet dish such as tooth fish is on the menu must be closely supervised.
If such a regime of enforcement seems a pipe dream, consider the relative success of the international ban on the sale of ivory and rhinoceros horn.
These bans have served to raise international awareness of endangered species. Unfortunately, fish do not have the immediate sentimental appeal of an elephant or a tiger or leopard. However, as the rain forest is key to the global climate, so fish are crucial as a world economic resource.
If the outstanding effort of the Australian fishery authorities is replicated even in part by other world fishery protection forces, the menace of pirate trawlers could be significantly diminished.
