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Illegal fishing fleets generate $10 billion in annual sales

 

Ian Urbina, The Outlaw Ocean Project

Contributor

Ian Urbina, a former investigative reporter for the New York Times, is the director of The Outlaw Ocean Project, a non-profit journalism organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on reporting about environmental and human rights crimes at sea."

 

Illegal fishing fleets generate $10 billion in annual sales

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Ian Urbina, The Outlaw Ocean Project

·Contributor

Mon, October 3, 2022 at 8:15 AM·4 min read

The Thunder. (Simon Arger/Selase Kove-Seyram/Sea Shepherd)

If you look at the taxonomy of crime that plays out offshore, it’s both diverse and acute. And yet illegal fishing sits at the top of that hierarchy. It’s a global business estimated at $10 billion in annual sales, and one that is thriving, as improved technology has enabled fishing vessels to plunder the oceans with greater efficiency.

The Thunder flourished in this context. Interpol had issued a Purple Notice on the ship, the equivalent of adding it to a most wanted list, a designation given to only four other ships in the world up to that time. The vessel had collected over $76 million from the illicit sales of seafood in the past decade, more than any other ship, according to Interpol estimates.

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Banned since 2006 from fishing in the Antarctic, the Thunder had been spotted there repeatedly in the years that followed. In 2015, that’s where the environmental organization Sea Shepherd found it. Speaking through a translator, Peter Hammarstedt, captain of the Bob Barker, warned that the Thunder was banned from fishing in those waters and would be stopped.

It was the beginning of an extraordinary chase and the subject of the second episode of “The Outlaw Ocean” podcast, from CBC Podcasts and the L.A. Times. Listen to it here:

For 110 days and more than 10,000 nautical miles spanning two seas and three oceans, the Bob Barker and a companion ship, both operated by Sea Shepherd, trailed behind the trawler, with the three captains close enough to watch one another’s cigarette breaks and on-deck workout routines. In an epic game of cat-and-mouse, the ships maneuvered through an obstacle course of giant ice floes, endured a cyclone-like storm, faced clashes between opposing crews and nearly collided in what became the longest pursuit of an illegal fishing vessel in history.

As chronicled by the Outlaw Ocean Project, a nonprofit journalism organization whose reporter was on board the Bob Barker, the chase ended with a distress call from the Thunder. “We’re sinking,” the Thunder’s captain pleaded over the radio. The ships operated by Sea Shepherd rescued the crew and tried gathering evidence of its crimes before the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean.

 

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9 Foot Bluefin - Seized in Rhode Island - Illegal Fishing

 

Officials: 9-foot tuna seized from boat illegally fishing; captain issued criminal summons

Officials in Rhode Island say they seized a 9.4-foot bluefin tuna from a Massachusetts charter boat that was illegally fishing.(Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management)

By Jordan Gartner

Published: Sep. 21, 2022 at 3:13 PM PDT

PROVIDENCE, R. I. (Gray News) - Officials say they recently seized a giant tuna from a boat that was illegally fishing in Rhode Island waters.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said it recently seized a 9.4-foot bluefin tuna from a Massachusetts charter boat as the captain didn’t have the required state commercial fishing license.

According to the department, the fish was taken after environmental officers determined that the captain had paying clients on his vessel while fishing commercially for giant bluefin tuna without a proper state license.

Officers said they escorted the boat back to port while spotting that the captain had a recently killed tuna onboard.

The department said it sold the seized fish to a licensed dealer. The captain was issued a criminal summons for the alleged violations with the monies from the sold fish held in escrow.

Rhode Island officials said giant bluefin tuna along the coast are an indicator of a healthy ecosystem and environmental police officers are committed to protecting them for the benefit of adequately licensed fishermen who pursue these fish.

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NOAA Fisheries - Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit

 Anglers fishing for bluefin tuna need a federal Highly Migratory Species (HMS) permit and are required to report their catches. Bluefin tuna fishing is highly regulated. Catch bag limits and regulations often change to prevent overfishing so anglers are urged to check regulations before fishing trips. For information on regulations and how to apply for an HMS permit, visit https://hmspermits.noaa.gov.

Last Updated: Sep 16, 2022

General category September 2022 bluefin tuna fishery closes September 19, 2022 at 11:30 PM

Based on the best available landings information, NMFS has determined that the adjusted General category September 2022 subquota of 225.5 mt will be reached shortly (i.e., as of September 16, reported landings total approximately 191.2 mt) and therefore the General category fishery for large medium and giant Atlantic bluefin tuna will close. This action does not affect the recreational Angling category. The General category bluefin tuna fishery will close effective 11:30 p.m., September 19, 2022, until it begins on October 2, 2022, as October 1 is a restricted fishing day, with a quota of 76.4 mt available for the October through November time period. Retaining, possessing, or landing large medium or giant BFT by persons aboard vessels permitted in the Atlantic tunas General and HMS Charter/Headboat categories must cease at 11:30 p.m. local time on September 19, 2022, through September 30, 2022. This action applies to General category permitted vessels and to HMS Charter/Headboat category permitted vessels with a commercial sale endorsement when fishing commercially for BFT. The intent of this closure is to prevent overharvest of the available adjusted General category September BFT subquota.

Close

Preliminary 2022 Commercial BFT Landings

Reported landings as of September 16, 2022, indicate the General category has landed 191.2 mt of the 225.8 mt September subquota. The Harpoon category is closed, and landed 76.2 mt of the 78.7 mt quota. The Longline category has landed 112.4 mt. Landing updates will be made as necessary.

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