Whose flag is that?
Human rights abuses on the high seas, the pillaging of threatened fish stocks and global pirate fishing operations worth billions of dollars have all been documented in a new report, which lifts the lid on how 'flags of convenience' provide cover for illegal fishing vessels.
Customs officers approaching an illegal fishing vessel
© Australian Customs Service
Turtles, albatross, Patagonian toothfish and sharks are among a range of species threatened by illegal fishing operations on the high seas, according to a report by WWF, the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the Australian Government.
The report - entitled The Changing Nature of High Seas Fishing: How flags of convenience provide cover for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - also highlights human rights abuses using examples from fisheries in the Southern Ocean.
These include abandoning crew members in foreign ports, ships that are barely sea worthy, forced labour and suspicious accidents such as the recent fire aboard the vessel Simiez in the Uruguayan port of Montevideo, in which the bodies of 11 crew members were found in their sleeping quarters.
But what inspires the captains of these pirate boats to risk the Southern Ocean's mountainous seas, freezing conditions in rusting ships and the chance of being caught by naval patrol boats?
The answer is an animal that 25 years ago was known only to a small group of Antarctic scientists and went by the unlikely name of Patagonian toothfish. These days it's better known as white gold.
White gold
Patagonian toothfish - or Chilean sea bass - is now one of the most valuable fish in the sea. Our preference for thick-fleshed predator fish like cod and tuna has seen the cost of Patagonian toothfish in the US reach US$20 a pound, or US$1,000 for a whole animal in some parts.
It comes as little surprise then that pirates are willing to take the significant risks associated with plying the inhospitable waters around Antarctica for the fish known as white gold.
The presence of Patagonian toothfish in Australia's sub-Antarctic waters was unknown until 1994, when it was discovered by an Australian fishing company in waters surrounding Macquarie Island. Ten years later it is the basis for one of the most lucrative industries in the world.
Environmental marauders
Wandering albatross
© WWF/Fritz PÖLKING
Faced with the prospect of making millions of dollars from illegal catches of toothfish, tuna and other species, pirate fishing operators care little about the impacts their actions have on the environment. Patagonian toothfish live in discreet, separated populations, with little exchange between different groups, which makes them more vulnerable to over-fishing by illegal fishers.
Illegal fishing operators also care little about the harm their methods cause to seabirds, including many albatross species that inhabit the southern seas.
Of the world's albatross species, 20 live in the Southern Ocean and all are under threat. Two species are critically endangered. These long-lived and slow breeding birds are particularly at risk from poorly managed long-line fishing.
Pirate fishing boats are also known to abandon fishing gear such as nets to avoid being apprehended. Fish, marine mammals and seabirds become caught in this gear and die.
Flags of convenience
The modern idea of flags of convenience (FOC) began in the 1920s, during the prohibition era, when many US-owned cruise ships registered with the Central American nation of Panama so they could serve alcohol on board.
These days the system is still being used to dodge the law only the stakes are much higher. Flags of convenience are now used as cover for pirate fishing operations worth billions of dollars that threaten the health of our oceans and the lives of the crews that work on them.
Belize, Honduras, Panama and St Vincent and the Grenadines top the list of FOC countries with the largest number of fishing vessels registered to fly their flags.
Some FOC countries actively court ship registrations by pointing out the advantages of flagging in a state with few environmental regulations. It costs only a few hundred dollars to buy a flag of convenience and with that FOC vessels are free to catch millions of dollars worth of fish and cause damage with impunity to marine life on the high seas including turtles, seabirds, juvenile fish and sharks.
Moreover, states that run open registries suffer little harm from overfishing and other harmful practices on the high seas. A decrease in the availability of fish stocks is a burden shared by all countries but the profits made only benefit the shipowners and flag states.
Stop the pirates!
The Southern Ocean is one of the richest seas in the world. But its vastness also makes it difficult to stop clandestine fishing operations seeking to bypass existing conservation measures.
WWF calls on the United Nations General Assembly to give much stronger support to strengthen the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's International Plan of Action to Prevent Deter and Eliminate IUU Fishing.
"The UN General Assembly must eliminate the FOC system," said WWF-Australia Director of Conservation, Dr Ray Nias.
"We must not tolerate a system that allows large-scale fishing vessels to operate outside the rule of international law - it needs to be dismantled now."
With your help, WWF will continue to work for the protection of the Southern Ocean. We aim to establish the world's largest network of marine protected areas, the conservation of the great whales, seabirds and other marine life of the region, and the sustainable use of fisheries resources for future generations.
