The recent release of a White House action plan on illegal, under-reported, unregulated fishing sets out the need to address this global challenge before it’s too late. The total value of economic losses from IUU fishing is estimated to range from $10 billion to $23.5bn annually. The end last week of the longest pursuit of a poacher in maritime history, surpassing …
16th April 2015: Tides turn against IUU vessels in SE Asia
Siddharth Chakravarty, captain of The Steve Irwin, has been working for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and battling on the frontlines of marine conservation since 2011. Since then, he and his crew have managed to combat Japanese whalers, patrol the Bluefin Tuna fishing season, protect the Whale Sanctuary in the Southern Ocean, save sharks in the South Pacific and more. …
7th April 2015: Footage – IUU Thunder sinks in suspicious circumstances
On 6th April the most notorious toothfish poacher of the all – the FV Thunder – sank inside the EEZ of Sao Tome. Officially, there is now one less toothfish poacher on the CCAMLR IUU vessel blacklist
7th April 2015: Thunder captain cheered as toothfish pirate ship sank
The captain of an alleged pirate ship accused of fishing illegally in Antarctic waters clapped and cheered as his vessel sank off the West African coast overnight, an indication that the ship had been deliberately scuttled, according to Sea Shepherd activists. In what was described as a “weird and surreal” experience, Sea Shepherd crew members have now rescued 40 people …
6th April 2015: Illegal toothfish vessel, Thunder, sinks
All officers and crew have abandoned the THUNDER. Three crew members from the BOB BARKER have boarded the THUNDER. The BOB BARKER boarding party were able to secure and remove a computer, mobile phones and charts from the THUNDER. The logbook seems to have been removed or destroyed. Secured evidence also included a whole toothfish now in the freezer of …
2nd April 2015: Australian agencies stopping illegal fishing
David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries, congratulated Australian agencies involved in operations which have led to the apprehension in Malaysia of the illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing boat, the Viking. “I understand the work done by officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the Border Protection Command Service, and the Australian Antarctic Division has been central to actions taken …
2nd April 2015: International cooperation on illegal toothfish fishing reaps benefits
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Richard Colbeck, welcomed action by Malaysian authorities who have detained the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) listed fishing vessel Viking. Senator Colbeck said Australia fully supports Malaysian authorities taking strong action against IUU fishing and offers its support as part of the ongoing investigation. “The vessel has a long history of IUU fishing …
31st March 2015: Recruitment variability in Patagonian toothfish around South Georgia
The Patagonian toothfish, Dissostichus eleginoides, is a deep-water nototheniid fish, endemic to the Southern hemisphere. It supports a valuable fishery within the waters of the UK overseas territory of South Georgia. Relatively little is known about ideal breeding conditions, although there are indications that environmental factors play a key role. Variability in recruitment has been linked to local environmental conditions …
27th March 2015: Phuket officials charge captain of illegal Antarctic toothfish vessel
PHUKET: Officials have charged the Peruvian captain of an illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel for falsely reporting the cargo of his ship as he attempted to offload 182 tonnes of Antarctic toothfish illegally caught in the Southern Ocean. The ship, which recently had its name changed from Kunlun to Taishan, had already fled from the navies of New Zealand …
25th March 2015: Rogue ship a good catch
The detention of an infamous illegal toothfish fishing vessel off Phuket, the Kunlun, deserves special notice and praise. Authorities apprehended the ugly-looking ship after it was chased by various nations for years. To continue reading article, see Rogue Ship a Good Catch, courtesy of Bangkok Post.
16th March 2015: Spain tackles IUU fishing
The Spanish government is launching an investigation into several companies for alleged links to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing under its new fisheries law. This is the first time that Spain has enforced its new fisheries law, which came into effect earlier this year and allows Spanish authorities to sanction nationals guilty of involvement in IUU fishing. The law …
17th March 2015: Thailand detains illegal fishing vessel, Kunlun
Thai officials in Phuket have detained the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) listed fishing vessel Kunlun for investigation. The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Peter Dutton and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture Senator Richard Colbeck both welcomed the decision by Thai officials and said Australia fully supports the on-going investigation. The Kunlun was intercepted by the …
13th March 2015: Spanish Ministry storms Vidal Shipowners offices on suspect of pirate links
Shipowners Vidal, the Galician company, questioned on Wednesday for hours in Ribeira (A Coruña) as part of Operation Sparrow, who investigates companies based in A Coruña on suspicion of links with vessels included in the list of illegal fishing in the Convention for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources in the Antarctic (CCAMLR), and was sentenced in recent years up to 7 …
11th March 2015: Scientists return from successful Antarctic research voyage
NIWA deepwater research vessel Tangaroa docks in Wellington today to complete a successful six-week New Zealand-Australia Antarctic Ecosystems voyage. “It is good to be home safe and sound” said Voyage Leader Dr Richard O’Driscoll, “Antarctica is a tough environment and we’ve had to work around some difficult ice conditions during the voyage.” Beyond the imperative of returning safely, Dr O’Driscoll …
10th March 2015: Safeway Canada shuns sustainable toothfish
The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators, COLTO, today responded to the many inaccuracies in a recent article, ‘NZ toothfish exports face boycott in North America‘. The article by Michael Field, highlights a four year old decision by Safeway Canada to not sell Antarctic toothfish (aka Chilean seabass) if it came from the Ross Sea, based on support for a Marine …
5th March 2015: Austral CEO congratulates Australian Government for boarding IUU vessel
David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries, today extended his congratulations to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service for their boarding of the IUU vessel, Kunlun, last Friday. This action, continues from the recent positive efforts of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Icefish, where they have stopped the IUU vessel, Thunder, from illegally fishing since mid-December, as well as the Royal New …
3rd March 2015: Strange creatures of the Antarctic waters
Antarctic trawl nets deep data from NIWA on Vimeo. Researchers on board the Niwa research ship Tangaroa are pulling an array of strange creatures out of icy Antarctic waters as they investigate the health of the foodweb supporting the prized commercial species toothfish. The scientists have been trawling the central Ross Sea about 72 degrees south in an area where …
27th February 2015: Australian Customs board IUU vessel, Kunlun
The Australian Government has reinforced its commitment to protecting resources in the Southern Ocean with the interception and boarding of a fishing vessel believed to have been operating under a false flag and in defiance of international conventions. Officers from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) boarded and searched the internationally listed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing …
2nd Feb 2015: Toothfish poachers in Australian waters try to ram Sea Shepherd’s “Sam Simon”
Two illegal fishing boats that evaded the New Zealand navy are now in Australian waters near Antarctica, but it’s unclear whether local authorities will intervene. Conservation group Sea Shepherd on Monday said one of their ships patrolling the area, the Sam Simon, intercepted the Yongding and the Kunlun at 11.30am AEDT with prohibited fishing gear on its deck. It alleged …
16th January 2015: INTERPOL issue Purple Notice for 3 IUU vessels
At the request of New Zealand, INTERPOL Purple Notices have been issued to seek information on the individuals and networks behind three vessels fishing illegally in the Southern Ocean. The Purple Notices, which are used to seek or provide information on modi operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals, have been circulated to all 190 INTERPOL member countries. …
13th Jan 2015: NZ Navy finds 3rd IUU toothfish vessel. COLTO Member urges arrest.
The New Zealand navy has discovered a third fishing vessel it says is operating illegally in the Southern Ocean. This is the 4th vessel that has recently been discovered IUU fishing for toothfish. The offshore patrol vessel, HMNZS Wellington, last week intercepted two foreign fishing boats in the area, and Sea Shepherd located the Thunder and has been following them …
12th Jan 2015: NZ navy intercepts toothfish poachers
A New Zealand navy ship busted two boats illegally fishing for valuable toothfish in the Southern Ocean over the weekend. The HMNZS Wellington intercepted the poachers, claiming to be flagged to Equatorial Guinea but previously linked to Spain, while patrolling the isolated waters. Fishing in the area is banned by an international convention to conserve Antarctic marine life. The first boat was sighted last Tuesday and …
5th January 2015: Antarctic Toothfish, lost – and found
Scientists from the University of Canterbury, the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), and the University of Illinois are working together at Scott Base to investigate the disappearance of large Antarctic toothfish from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The project, led by Canterbury’s Dr Regina Eisert, is examining the impact of fisheries and climate change on top predators in the …
22nd December 2014: De-Register Thunder – Company calls for Australian Government support
David Carter, CEO of Austral Fisheries, today supported calls from Sea Shepherd for the Nigerian government to remove the known toothfish poaching boat, the Thunder, from its vessel registry. The Thunder has had a purple notice issued against it by Interpol, for continued actions that undermine the sustainable management of toothfish fisheries in Antarctic waters. This Purple Notice calls for …
22nd December 2014: COLTO Member, Mustad, win 2014 WWF Smart Gear Competition
One of COLTO’s Associate Members, Mustad Autoline, have taken out the 2014 Smart Gear Competition. Developed in close cooperation with SaveWave and Mustad Autoline under Eurostars regulations, the SeaBird Saver is the answer to seabird bycatch longline fisheries. The device emits a highly effective laser beam from the stern of the fishing vessel to keep birds away from the danger …
18th December 2014: Sea Shepherd locates toothfish poacher
COLTO was pleased to hear that Sea Shepherd has located one of the last known IUU poachers operating in CCAMLR waters. The announcement by Sea Shepherd today that the Bob Barker has located and is tracking the ‘Thunder’ is positive news in terms of eliminating the last vestiges of IUU fishing for toothfish. The Thunder is a well-known IUU toothfish …
19th November 2014: Australia’s science-based fisheries management reaping rewards
Excellent management of Australia’s fisheries has led to an increase in the sustainable catch for the prized Patagonian Toothfish. The total allowable catch limit was increased by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) following a recommendation from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Tasmania last month. It will enable Australian operators to sustainably catch …
11th November 2014: CCAMLR statement on toothfish tag-return lottery
The CCAMLR tag-return lottery, sponsored by the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO), has been drawn and this year’s winner is Mr N. MacLeod of Sanford, representing the New Zealand vessel, San Aspiring. The lottery is designed to promote awareness of the tagging scheme on vessels and to ensure that all recaptured fish get reported to CCAMLR. Details of where …
6th November 2014: International meeting in Hobart strengthens Antarctic marine conservation
Member countries of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have agreed on a range of measures to conserve Antarctica’s marine living resources. After considering a body of submissions based on the best available scientific data, the world’s leaders in Antarctic marine science and policy achieved alignment on a number of significant issues. Outcomes of the …
23rd October 2014: CCAMLR tag lottery winners announced
COLTO would like to congratulate Mr N.MacLeod of Sanford, representing the New Zealand vessel, San Aspiring, for winning first prize in the COLTO-sponsored CCAMLR tag-return lottery. The tag number was drawn at random from all reports of recaptured toothfish in CCAMLR exploratory fisheries in 2013/14. The lottery had cash prizes for crew that had returned the three randomly drawn tags ($400 …
20th October 2014: Heightened demand for sustainable toothfish sends prices to record levels
Toothfish prices in the US are climbing this year as demand for sustainably certified product continues to put pressure on supplies. This higher toothfish interest has forced buyers to compete directly with Asian importers for product, which has pushed up the market in 2014. So far in October, average Urner Barry prices for 6-8 kilo whole, frozen H&G toothfish are …
2nd October 2014: Extreme Toothfish
Everything about Australia’s newly branded Glacier 51 Toothfish is extreme: its looks, its size (the fish can reach 2m in length), its environment. Even the story of its journey from pirate plunder to species under threat to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification is outlandish. But while it’s highly prized in America and Japan – its fillet renders large, luscious, arctic-white …
23rd September 2014: South Georgia Patagonian toothfish renews MSC
The South Georgia Patagonian toothfish fishery renewed its five-yearly Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the third consecutive time. The fishery, which was first MSC certified in 2004, received an average score of 96 out of 100 in the latest assessment, said the government of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI). The government, which manages the fishery, said it “has pledged …
16th September 2014: COLTO Member donates Colossal squid to science
The new colossal squid sliced open at Te Papa today is even bigger than the last one. The squid was caught on Sanford fishing boat San Aspiring’s line in Antarctic waters last summer. San Aspiring brought the squid back to New Zealand, where it was kept in a freezer. Researchers from AUT University and the University of Otago sliced open …
14th September 2014: MSC questions scientific rigour after claims of Chilean Seabass Mislabelling
In August, a report by the University of Hawaii at Mānoa criticized the labeling practices of the Marine Stewardship Council in regards to its MSC-certified Chilean sea bass. Now, the council is disputing the validity of the study and saying it is “highly confident about the integrity” of its certified foods. The study by University of Hawaii at Mānoa published in …
New Zealand media embarassed after falsely accusing trade minister of eating illegal toothfish
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton – Aug 11, 2014 Such was the case with a political reporter for the New Zealand herald, who got hold of the country’s trade minister’s credit card bills, and found that in Singapore, he had ordered toothfish, or Chilean Sea Bass. The reporter, doubtless remembering the controversy over IUU fishing and depletion of toothfish, promptly pounced, claiming the minister …
1st July 2014: South Georgia Toothfish Fishery rated as one of ‘best in the world’
Recommendations have been made regarding the South Georgia Toothfish fishery by two senior scientists who have conducted an independent review, however they stressed today to Penguin News that the fishery was the best managed in the world. Dr Stuart Hanchet and Dr Dirk Welsford* (pictured right and left respectively of Dr Collins) were invited to the Islands by Chief Executive …
15th May 2014: Falklands’ fisheries success story: 20 years of Consolidated and 10 of CFL Gambler
Falkland Islands’ Consolidated Fisheries Ltd (CFL) celebrated its 20th anniversary as a company at a reception and banquet at Malvina House Hotel. It also celebrated the 10th anniversary of its vessel CFL Gambler’s blessing and highlighted the MSC certification of the toothfish fishery. CFL Chair Hamish Wylie told Penguin Newshow the company came to be in the early 1990s when, “little was …
1st May 2014: Ships seized for illegal fishing
KOTA TINGGI: Two ships seized while anchoring illegally in the Tanjung Sedili waters here in Pengerang were found with 100 to 150 tonnes of fish. The ships were seized and its 63 crew members were detained in separate incidents on Friday and Saturday. Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Tanjung Sedili enforcement division chief Captain Amran Daud said the ships’ captains …
17th April: Rare whale fossil sets jawbones wagging at Museum Victoria
Mystery of the deep: Palaeontologist Erich Fitzgerald with the fossilised whale skull A rare fossilised whale skull found by chance deep in the remote waters of the Southern Ocean has been donated to Museum Victoria by COLTO Member, Austral Fisheries. Picked up by a commercial fishing vessel from more than a kilometre beneath the surface, the 65-centimetre section of …
8th April 2014: COLTO Member, Estremar undertake refit on toothfish vessel
Argentina’s largest toothfish catcher Estremar, part of Norway-based Ocean Harvest, started restructuring its operations in 2013 to address Argentina’s challenging economic climate. As part of this it consolidated all its quotas — for toothfish, but also hoki and southern blue whiting — onto its surimi and fishmeal trawler Centurion del Atlantico, which had stopped surimi operations due to high costs, and put its longliner Antarctic III …
18th March 2014: Toothfish cast winner at SENA14
Today at the Seafood Expo North America 2014 in Boston, COLTO gave away this replica toothfish (Chilean Sea Bass) cast to lucky winner Travis Matthews from Woburn, Massachusetts. This fiberglass cast of a Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) was modeled on a 13kg specimen, caught within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone in the Heard Island & McDonald Islands (HIMI) Patagonian Toothfish Fishery. …
18th March 2014: IUU toothfish story – a cartoonists perspective!
The clever and informative animation produced by Stockholm Resilience Centre, based on research by Henrik Österblom. The research was funded by FORMAS, the Swedish Research Council.
18th March 2014: SENA14: Chilean Sea Bass–Back From The Brink
The following article was written by Richard Auffrey, a Seafood Blogger who caught up with COLTO Chair, Martin Exel, yesterday at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston, where we are participating with our first ever expo booth. -taken from The Passionate Foodie: “I know all the symptoms I can expect to experience. I’m especially looking forward to something called …
12th March 2014: Conservation group cheered by move on toothfish
A government initiative to regulate the import and re-export of toothfish, commonly known as Chilean sea bass, has been welcomed by a green group. The government will extend the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to the species inhabiting Antarctic waters. World Wildlife Fund senior conservation officer Allen To Wai-lun said the convention has not been extended …
7th March 2014: MSC Certification for Falkland Islands Toothfish.
PRESS RELEASE: Consolidated Fisheries Ltd. (CFL) is pleased to announce that Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification has been granted to the Falklands Islands Toothfish longline fishery. The fishery entered assessment in August 2012 and was evaluated by independent MSC certifier Intertek Fisheries Certification (formerly Intertek Moody Marine) against the MSC Standard for well-managed and sustainable fisheries in three principle …
27th Feb 2014: IUU vessel ‘Thunder’ owned by Combarro
The “Thunder” with flag of Nigeria, is owned by shipowners Combarro Despite the silence of the Ministry of Agriculture about the type of economic sanctions to be applied to the Spanish crew of foreign vessel that carried illegal, announced last week by the General Secretariat of Fisheries, information provided by various entities and individuals , suggest that the vessel in …
26th Feb 2014: Ministry sanctions longliner crew illegally operating in Antarctica
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has imposed for the first time, and by means of a pioneer measure in the European Union, financial penalties and fishing activity disqualification to Spanish crewmembers enrolled in a vessel included in the blacklist of the Convention on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources of Antarctica (CCAMLR), for their illegal fishing activities in Antarctica. The vessel, …
24th Sep 2014: PRESS RELEASE – “Guilt Free” Chilean Seabass
A Chilean Seabass (Patagonian toothfish) cast is travelling to Boston, USA, to become a centre piece of the COLTO booth at the Seafood Expo North America show, from 16 to 18 March. The cast will be given away as a prize during the show. The Coalition for Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) will showcase the astounding turnaround for toothfish (aka Chilean …
19th Feb 2014: Falklands’ Fortuna targets northern Europe for toothfish sales
Having recently acquired a new longliner, Falklands squid and whitefish catcher Fortuna Seafoods is looking to high-end markets in northern Europe to expand its toothfish sales, said company director James Wallace. Speaking from the Fish International 2014 fair in Bremen, Wallace said the company was looking to complement its traditional toothfish markets, the US and Asia. The company sells around …