A fleet of three vessels that has tried to evade scrutiny of its illegal activities has been blacklisted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and the fleet’s insurance provider is considering dropping their coverage following an investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF).
The fleet, which has operated in the Atlantic for years, first drew EJF’s attention when satellite monitoring of the three vessels’ movements demonstrated they were long-lining for tuna without registering with ICCAT, the regional fishery management organization that oversees the Atlantic tuna-fishing sector.
The EJF investigation included satellite tracking, social media monitoring, and interviews with crew, and found “extensive evasive action to avoid any oversight of illegal actions,” according to the NGO. The investigation found the vessels used a number of methods to evade scrutiny, including switching the flags of nations – or flying none at all – changing vessel names, switching automatic identification system codes mid-voyage, and illegal transshipment of catch, supplies, or crew, EJF said in a release.
“This is a textbook example of operators using the chronic lack of transparency in fisheries to perpetrate crimes and decimate ocean ecosystems, and that urgently needs to change,” EJF said.
Read more:
https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/illegal-fishing-fleet-blacklisted-by-iccat-following-ejf-investigation