Editorial: State needs to step in to clean up Peconic Estuary Riverhead News Review In many parts of the Peconic Estuary, according to a report from The Nature Conservancy, septic systems were found to be the single largest source of nitrogen pollution. Mr. Dougherty, representing all East End towns and villages, has called on Gov ... |
Commentary by Sea Shepherd Founder, Captain Paul Watson
GPS coordinates show the poaching
vessel Kunlun inside Australia's EEZ
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Jeff Wirth This is an accurate description of yesterday’s interception by the Australian government of the toothfish-poaching vessel Kunlun:
They arrived.
They saw.
They observed.
They determined the ship Kunlun was in Australian territorial waters.
Therefore, they took action.
They boarded the Kunlin – and one-upped the Kiwis.
They found evidence of illegal fishing in Australian Antarctic territorial waters.
They saw a large supply of illegally caught toothfish.
They discovered the vessel was flying a false flag.
They determined it was an undocumented ship, illegally flying the flag of Equatorial Guinea and loaded with tons of fish caught in Australian Antarctic territorial waters.
So of course they let them go.
Say what?????
This is the same ship that the New Zealand Navy found last month, attempted to board. When they were refused permission to board, they left, allowing the poachers to continue their illegal fishing activities.
As in the case with New Zealand, the Kunlun was allowed to proceed because of the intervention of Australian politicians.
Peter Dutton, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection said that the boarding has “sent a strong message” to the poachers.
And what I wonder could that message possibly be? It appears to be, “Stop illegally taking our fish or else we will board you again, so there.”
The poaching vessel, Kunlun,
crosses the bow of the Sam Simon
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Jeff Wirth Last month, the Sea Shepherd ship Sam Simon chased the Kunlun out of Australian Antarctic waters. With the poachers heading north, the opportunity to intercept them was handed to Australia.
When intercepted, the Kunlun was in the waters off the Cocos Islands, a territory in the Indian Ocean controlled by Australia.
Despite this, Senator Richard Colbeck, an outspoken critic of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Icefish, declared that it would not be legal for Australia to arrest the ship.
After reviewing the media release from the Ministry for Immigration and Border Protection, it seems incredible that Colbeck would say that an arrest would not be legal:
Enforcement activity to protect the Southern Ocean
27 February 2015
The Hon Peter Dutton MP
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture
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.
(PW: We boarded them, which means we are committed to upholding international conservation law.)
Officers from the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) boarded and searched the internationally listed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing vessel Kunlun yesterday, after interdicting the vessel to the west of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
The vessel was first detected near the islands by a maritime patrol aircraft, operating under the control of Border Protection Command (BPC). Once its location was confirmed, an ACBPS vessel, also operating under the control of BPC, intercepted and boarded the Kunlun.
(PW: They neglected to mention that Sea Shepherd had informed Australia that the vessel was headed north.)
In January 2015, the Kunlun was identified operating within Commonwealth Bay off the Antarctic coast. The purpose of the boarding was to investigate claims that the vessel was authorised by Equatorial Guinea to fish in the Southern Ocean. This area of waters is managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources.
In the course of the inspection of the vessel, ACBPS officers observed a significant quantity of frozen fish in storage.
(PW: New Zealand caught them and New Zealand documented the fishing. Therefore the evidence of illegal fishing by the Kunlun in Australian waters was well established.)
Information gathered in the course of the inspection will be used to conduct further inquiries in relation to the vessel's nationality, ownership and authority to fish in the region.
(PW: How many more bloody inquiries are needed? These ships are known poaching vessels and have been operating with impunity for a decade, raking in tens of millions of dollars. They have absolutely no authority to fish in Australian territorial waters or anywhere else in the Southern Ocean. This vessel is listed on the Interpol Purple list.)
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, said the boarding showed the Coalition Government's commitment to taking action to ensure that commercial fishing activity is authorised.
(PW: If this is considered “action,” no wonder nothing ever gets resolved by the Australian government.)
"This action should send a strong message that the Australian government is committed to ensuring all vessels operating in the Southern Ocean do so legally and are appropriately registered," Mr. Dutton said.
(PW: Ooohh, the poachers must be quaking in fear. “My God,” said Captain Fishnicker to his Mate, “the Aussies have threatened us with a strong message. Now get that net back in the water before they send us another ‘strong’ message.”)
"Our message to those who may seek to fish under false flags, or flags of convenience, is simple; we operate a range of assets in a range of locations, and we will continue to use these and the full extent of our powers to target you."
(PW: In other words, what assets we can spare from protecting Australian borders from homeless refugees we will dedicate – if we have the time, and when it becomes too embarrassing not to act – and will deploy them to board you again.”
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Senator Richard Colbeck, said that unregulated fishing threatens the viability of fish stocks, and that Australia works with many other countries in seeking to eliminate it.
(PW: And they seem to be doing an absolutely amazing job of doing absolutely nothing about it.)
"The action taken yesterday demonstrates Australia's commitment to combatting unregulated fishing and to protecting the interests of those who fish within the internationally agreed rules", he said.
(PW: Australia’s commitment appears to be that of doing very little, very late, without any results. Considering the evidence, the documentation by Sea Shepherd and the New Zealand Navy, the fact that the ship was flying a false flag, was on the Interpol Purple list and was boarded in Australia waters, the question must be: why was this unflagged, unregistered, criminal operation not stopped and the vessel seized?)
Commenting to ABC News from the Bob Barker, Captain Peter Hammarstedt said, “I have no doubt that evidence will show that the Kunlun has been fishing illegally and that they would have intended to continue fishing illegally had it not been for action by the Australian Government. They have boarded the ship, now what we need to see is the Australian Government actually arresting the vessel. This is a ship that needs to be brought back to Australia for prosecution. Nothing short of actually arresting this ship will be an acceptable outcome in seeing them end their poaching career.
ABC’s Felicity Ogilvie reported that Senator Richard Colbeck says Australia can't arrest the crew but will be monitoring the boat from now on.
The Kunlun was allowed to proceed north with millions of dollars of illegally caught toothfish.
Only two days ago Senator Richard Colbeck was on the carpet because of a large donation of $320,000 from the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association. He has fiercely defended the fishing industry, and last month viciously attacked Sea Shepherd’s efforts to oppose illegal fishing in Australian territorial waters.
There seems to be a complicated, secretive and international web of deception involving a network of illegal fishing activities around the world. Poachers have received subsidies from governments. Poachers continue to fish with impunity while governments do very little. When poachers are caught, the fines are trivial.
Last year the poaching vessel Thunder was arrested in Malaysia and released with millions of dollars of illegally caught fish, after paying a relatively small fine of $90,000 Australian dollars.
Meanwhile, today marks the 72nd day that the Bob Barker has been pursuing the Thunder; it is the longest continuous pursuit of a poaching vessel in maritime history. The Sam Simon has successfully reported to authorities in Mauritius with 72 kilometers of gill net seized from the Thunder. An international investigation is underway. Sea Shepherd has the documentation and the evidence and Sea Shepherd has no intention of allowing the Thunder to escape.
The crew of the Bob Barker have observed and documented the Thunder destroying evidence by burning their nets and buoys. The two vessels continue to drift in a stand-off some 750 miles off the coast of Madagascar.
Read more: Sea Shepherd Commends Australian Boarding of Poaching Vessel: Now Calls For Arrest
Kunlun dangerously crosses the bow of the Sam Simon, after it was intercepted by the Sea Shepherd ship in February.
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Jeff Wirth Sea Shepherd has responded to news that Australian customs have boarded the Interpol-wanted poaching vessel, Kunlun, commending border patrol for their action, and calling on the arrest of the wanted poaching vessel.
The Kunlun was intercepted west of Cocos Island (Keeling) yesterday. Sea Shepherd suspects the vessel was en route from the Antarctic to Southeast Asia to offload its illegal catch.
The Kunlun has a long history of illegal fishing activity. As well as being included on the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) blacklist of Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing vessels, just last month the vessel was issued with an Interpol Purple Notice after it was caught fishing illegally in Australian waters in the Southern Ocean by the New Zealand Navy.
On February 2, the Kunlun was intercepted by the Sea Shepherd ship, Sam Simon, again inside Australian waters. The Sam Simon then pursued the vessel out of its hunting grounds in the Southern Ocean.
Captain Peter Hammarstedt of the Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker said, “The Kunlun was first intercepted by the New Zealand Navy in Australian waters in January, fishing illegally. Two weeks later, it was still fishing illegally until shut-down by the Sam Simon. The evidence against the Kunlun is overwhelming – we have the images, we have the video and now Australian Customs and Border Protection have the opportunity to seize the illicit catch. We commend the Australian government for boarding the Kunlun. Australia has every right to arrest this poaching vessel and we now expect to see it brought to the nearest Australian port to see justice done”.
Captain Sid Chakravarty of the Sam Simon said, “For the past three months, the Australian government has claimed that taking port action against toothfish poachers is more effective that patrolling. It is encouraging to see that they have changed their tune. We've seen the Australian government take its leadership in the Southern Ocean seriously when they took Japan to the International Court of Justice on the issue of whaling. We now need strong action from Australia to show that illegal fishing will not be tolerated in the Southern Ocean, and that the only action that will see an end to the Kunlun's poaching career is arrest and seizure at sea.”
The Kunlun is one of six vessels that are known to still engage in IUU fishing for Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean.
The Bob Barker is currently engaged in a record-breaking pursuit of the most notorious of the six vessels, the Nigerian-flagged Thunder, after it was intercepted on the Banzare Bank in Antarctica on December 17.
The outlaw poaching vessels are the focus of Sea Shepherd's current Southern Ocean Defence Campaign, Operation Icefish.
Commencing in December last year, Operation Icefish is Sea Shepherd’s 11th Southern Ocean Defence Campaign and the first to target IUU toothfish fishing operators in the waters of Antarctica.
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Jeff Wirth | Photo: Sea Shepherd / Giacomo Giorgia |
Editorial: State needs to step in to clean up Peconic Estuary Suffolk Times In many parts of the Peconic Estuary, according to a report from The Nature Conservancy, septic systems were found to be the single largest source of nitrogen pollution. Mr. Dougherty, representing all East End towns and villages, has called on Gov ... |
Just some of the 72 km of the Thunder's illegal gillnet that was confiscated by the Sam Simon.
Photo: Jeff Wirth Yesterday, the Sea Shepherd ship, Sam Simon, handed-over evidence to authorities at Port Louis, Mauritius, of the illegal fishing activities of the Nigerian-flagged poaching vessel, Thunder.
The Thunder is the most notorious of the six remaining toothfish poaching vessels that are known to still engage in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean. In December 2013, the Thunder was issued with an Interpol purple notice for suspected illegal fishing activity, following a joint effort by New Zealand, Australian and Norwegian authorities.
For the past two months, Captain of the Sam Simon, Sid Chakravarty, has reported to authorities, including international policing agency Interpol, about the confiscation of the Thunder’s illegally-set gillnets. Authorities were also notified that the Sea Shepherd ship would be arriving in Mauritius to hand-over the gillnets as evidence to aid in the prosecution of the Thunder.
Upon docking in Port Louis, the Sam Simon was met by various Mauritian law enforcement agencies comprising of the Mauritius Police Force, the Coast Guard and the Fisheries Policing Agency.
Through the course of the day, the authorities conducted a rigorous inspection of the confiscated gear and met with Captain Chakravarty to establish a chain of custody for the gear being handed over as evidence.
Captain Chakravarty said, “It is evident from the proceedings that Interpol has issued a request to the Mauritian authorities to help in the investigation to prosecute the Thunder. The thorough and professional approach of the Mauritian authorities proves that local and international law enforcement authorities are taking the crimes of the Thunder seriously.”
He further added, “The Mauritian authorities have in one day done more to combat illegal fishing than the Australian government has done this entire season. It is definitely a wake-up call for Australia to dispatch a patrol vessel to clean out their Antarctic waters.”
The toothfish poaching vessels are the target of Sea Shepherd's 11th Southern Ocean Defence Campaign, Operation Icefish.
Since the commencement of Operation Icefish in December last year, the Sam Simon and fellow Sea Shepherd ship, the Bob Barker, have intercepted three of the six remaining outlaw vessels. In doing so, Sea Shepherd has saved the lives of countless marine creatures and has caused major disruptions to the profits of illegal fishing operators in Antarctica.
Captain of the Bob Barker, Peter Hammarstedt, said, “Let it be known, we are here for the long haul. With Sam Simon handing over evidence of the Thunder's criminal operations to police in Mauritius, the Bob Barker is committed to escorting the Thunder to its next port and into the hands of the authorities. The interest shown by Interpol in this case gives us the utmost confidence that this vessel is nearing the end of its reign of terror and the issue of IUU fishing is finally gaining the attention it deserves.”
The Bob Barker intercepted the Thunder on December 17, 2014, on the Banzare Bank in Antarctica. The Thunder immediately fled from the Sea Shepherd ship, leaving behind thousands of metres of illegal fishing gear in the Southern Ocean.
Through poor weather and in the face of hostile actions by the poachers, the Bob Barker has maintained pursuit of the Thunder. The Sea Shepherd ship now enters day 71 of what has become a record-breaking, continuous chase of the poaching vessel.
On December 25 2014, the Sam Simon commenced retrieval operations to remove the illegal fishing gear abandoned by the Thunder. More than 72 kilometres of illegal gillnet was recovered over a three week period and over 1,400 fish, weighing a total of 45,000 kilograms, were returned to the ocean.
On February 2 2015, the Sam Simon intercepted another two poaching vessels, the Kunlun and the Yongding, in Australian waters in the Southern Ocean. The Sam Simon subsequently engaged in a pursuit of the Kunlun, chasing the poaching vessel out of its hunting grounds in the Southern Ocean.
Operation Icefish is Sea Shepherd’s first Southern Ocean Defence Campaign to target IUU fishing operators in the waters of Antarctica.
Photo: Giacomo Giorgi | Photo: Jeff Wirth |
Squamish Chief | Part of estuary to be blocked off for six months Squamish Chief There will soon be trucks and machinery in the Squamish Estuary, but not to worry, it isn't big industry in there. Part of the estuary will be blocked off for about six months, preventing the many bikers, hikers, birders and dog walkers from accessing ... |
Perico Mangroves Need Enforcement of the Rules that Protect Them The Bradenton Times As citizens, we generally assume that government represents the public's interest and will carefully ensure that the rules for permits will be applied. Mangroves are a responsible for over 60 percent of marine life, and in past years were destroyed in ... |
A Generous Dolphin Advocate and Sea Shepherd Supporter has Donated the Billboard in Support of Sea Shepherd’s Annual Operation Infinite Patience Campaign in Taiji
Sea Shepherd billboard, made possible by supporter Marnie McBryde, goes up in New York City
to raise awareness about Taiji dolphin slaughter
Credit: OUTFRONT Media
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society first brought the brutal dolphin hunt in Taiji, Japan to the world’s attention in 2003, and each year since 2010, Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians have been on the ground in that tiny fishing village to document the capture and slaughter of wild, migrating dolphins throughout the six-month drive hunt season. Today, Feb. 25, a billboard made possible by a generous Sea Shepherd supporter has gone up on the busy Long Island Expressway, and will spread further vital awareness of this shocking massacre of ocean wildlife to more than a million people over the course of the next month.
Marnie McBryde, a passionate advocate for dolphins and supporter of Sea Shepherd’s Operation Infinite Patience campaign in Taiji, was haunted by the livestream of every dolphin capture and every kill reported by Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians — so much so that she took the initiative to do something about it. Having lived in Japan for a decade, she knows the people and the culture well. She knows that bringing outside pressure to bear is the only thing that will eventually stop the hunts. So McBryde decided to donate a billboard, which can now be seen on the Long Island Expressway at Van Dam Street, facing west (visible to eastbound traffic). An iconic image of the hunt captured by Sea Shepherd in 2003 showing the blood-red waters of the cove and Taiji’s killers loading the lifeless bodies of dead dolphins into a skiff, is unmistakable on the large sign. The billboard’s simple but loud-and-clear message reads, “Japan’s Shame: Stop Killing Dolphins!” Sea Shepherd’s hashtag #tweet4taiji, which spreads widely over social media with Cove Guardian updates from Taiji during every capture and slaughter, is also displayed in the hope of engaging the masses to help spread the word about the ongoing kidnapping and massacre of innocent, wild dolphins.
As the 2014-2015 hunt season draws to a close (the hunt typically spans from Sept. 1 to the beginning of March each year), the billboard serves as a timely reminder that though Taiji’s killers will soon put down their bloody spikes used to inhumanely sever a dolphin’s spinal cord, the suffering will continue for the dolphins torn from the ocean in Taiji this season to be sold for captivity to aquariums and marine parks in Japan or around the world. It is also a clear reminder to Japan that if and when Taiji’s slaughter resumes in September, Sea Shepherd’s relentless Cove Guardians will once again be standing watch along the shores of the cove with infinite patience. We will continue to return to Taiji until the slaughter ends.
“As Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians prepare for the end of another grueling season, witnessing the horrors that unfold day in and day out in the cove, this billboard has gone up in New York City, where more than a million individuals will see the reality of what the Taiji dolphin killers try so hard to hide under tarps,” said Sea Shepherd Senior Cove Guardian Campaign Leader and Coordinator, Melissa Sehgal. “We are so very grateful to Marnie for her donation that made this billboard a possibility for the dolphins and for Sea Shepherd. She is giving an important voice to the pods killed in Taiji this year as well as the captured dolphins who still face lives of imprisonment in tanks.”
For a staggering six months of each year, from September 1 until March, entire families of dolphins and small whales are driven into Taiji’s killing cove. Once netted within the shallow waters of the cove, their fate is sealed and the members of these doomed, frightened pods will face either imprisonment in captivity or brutal slaughter before the eyes of their families. Killers and trainers work side-by-side to select the “prettiest” dolphins and whales, those without visible scars, for captivity. The others are mercilessly stabbed with a metal spike hammered into their backs, just behind the blowhole, to sever their spine. The dolphins slowly and painfully bleed to death or drown in the blood of their family—others may die as they are dragged to the butcherhouse, where the once wild and free cetaceans are processed into meat for human consumption, despite being heavily contaminated with mercury and other toxins. These inhumane killings would not be allowed in any slaughterhouse in the world. Japan refuses to sign on to many protection efforts and regulations for marine mammals, despite most of the world recognizing the need to protect these self-aware, beloved and imperiled animals.
In 2010, Sea Shepherd established Operation Infinite Patience and our volunteer Cove Guardians took up positions alongside the cove to document, report and live stream these atrocities in the hope of capturing attention to bring pressure to bear to stop these barbaric acts. Sea Shepherd is the only organization to have a team on the ground in Taiji each day throughout the entire six-month killing season, and the only group who live streams every capture and every kill for the world to see. Sea Shepherd’s Cove Guardians will not stop shining a light on this atrocity until the slaughter ends.
Limerick Post | EU package for Shannon Estuary Limerick Post rp_shannon-estuary-66.jpg An ambitious new EU energy package launched by the European Commission today (Wednesday) could see Shannon Estuary serve as an energy hub for Europe and save Irish householders money, according to Seán Kelly MEP. |
Cornish Guardian | Padstow Harbour Commissioners propose new speed limits for Camel Estuary Cornish Guardian Padstow Harbour Commissioners last week revealed a detailed map showing how five different speed limits will apply in different parts of the estuary, if their attempt to update a local by-law is ultimately successful. The process, which can require an ... |
OSU: Tide level key to tsunami impacts within estuary Chinook Observer A new analysis by researchers at Oregon State University shows that if a tsunami occurs when the tide is in, large low-land areas within the Columbia estuary will be subject to sudden flooding. These areas are denoted above in shades of pale green and ... |
Liverpool Echo | Duchy of Lancaster pays £10.6m for commercial sites at Estuary Commerce Park ... Liverpool Echo Both of the Duchy's Estuary Park properties are held leasehold, with 1 Hercules Drive let to Communisis UK Limited for 20 years from May 2007 and 14 Estuary Banks let to the Secretary of State for Health for 25 years from October 2003. The total income ... Duchy eyes further deals after Speke swoop Duchy's £10.6m investment at Speke |
Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary taskforce to meet again over waterway management ABC Local A ministerial taskforce, set up to oversee water management and water quality in the Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary, in south-west Western Australia, is set to hold its second meeting next month. The group was created in response to a review of the wetlands ... |
io9 | This Beautiful Estuary Hides A Nasty Secret io9 Along with bright patches of irrigated agricultural fields, the estuary is also home to the Bandar Imam Khomeini petrochemical complex. As the largest petrochemical supplier in the country, the facility produces petroleum-based products including gas ... |
Mears secures position with Estuary Housing Association 24dash (press release) Mears is pleased to announce they have been successful in securing position as one of just eight contractors for Estuary Housing Association Works Framework to build new homes. This win will allow Mears to bid for potential contracts worth in the ... |
Greens allege destruction of mangroves in city The Hindu M.N. Giri of Kerala Grama Swaraj Foundation said the burning of mangroves was being carried out to allow reclamation of land by the side of the Container Road. He said such activities would affect fisheries resources in the backwaters on both sides of ... |
Daily Post North Wales | Three rescued by Flint RNLI after boats sinks in the Dee estuary Daily Post North Wales Three people were pulled out of the water by lifeboat crews after their boat sank in stormy seas. The vessel sank in the Dee estuary at 12.30pm but luckily for the occupants Flint's lifeguard crew, who happened to be at the station at the time, spotted ... |
Oregon Coast Beach Connection | Clean Up the N. Oregon Coast's Bay and Estuary on March 7 Oregon Coast Beach Connection (Manzanita, Oregon) – Every two years, residents from the Manzanita/Nehalem Bay area of the north Oregon coast bundle together and attack the bay and its estuary to clean up litter and debris. Given that sparse schedule, this one really counts for this ... |
AhlanLive.com | Eastern Mangroves by Anantara AhlanLive.com Whether you have a view of the mangroves, lagoon or bustling city, the spacious rooms all come with a private balcony so you can sit out and enjoy the peace and quiet the destination offers. Earthy hues and Arabian artwork give a traditional feel while ... |
South Wales Evening Post | River Towy search: hunt for missing 11-year-old boy called off for the night South Wales Evening Post Rescuers are to sweep the River Towy from the estuary to the quay before dusk falls this evening. Rescuers are to sweep the River Towy from the estuary to the quay before dusk falls this evening. Rescuers are to sweep the River Towy from the estuary to ... Missing boy: Search teams to sweep River Towy from Llansteffan to Carmarthen |
Sea Shepherd ships, Bob Barker and Sam Simon, in pursuit of the Interpol-wanted poacher, Thunder.
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Jeff Wirth
Today, the Sea Shepherd ship, Bob Barker, tripled the record for the longest sea chase of a poaching vessel, marking its 63rd day of pursuit of the Interpol-wanted, Nigerian-flagged toothfish poaching vessel, Thunder.
The previous record was held by the Australian patrol vessel, Southern Supporter, which pursued the Uruguayan vessel, Viarsa 1, for 21 days in 2003.
The milestone comes just one day after the Bob Barker logged the second full month since it first intercepted the Thunder on the Banzare Bank in Antarctica.
Captain of the Bob Barker, Peter Hammarstedt, stated, “We first intercepted the Thunder on December 17. For two months we have ensured that this, the most notorious of all the toothfish poaching vessels, has not been able to kill any more of Antarctica's precious toothfish. In the process, we have cost the criminals behind this operation millions of dollars in lost profits. Sea Shepherd is sending a very loud message to the poachers who continue to threaten this region: your criminal activity ends here.”
On Saturday, fellow Sea Shepherd ship, the Sam Simon, rendezvoused with the Bob Barker on the Melville Bank in the south Indian Ocean in order to resupply the Bob Barker with food.
With the resupply operation complete, both Sea Shepherd ships are in pursuit of the Thunder.
Two months down. The crew of the Bob Barker mark the end of the second month of their record-breaking pursuit of the Thunder.
Photo: Sea Shepherd / Simon Ager The Bob Barker now has enough fuel and food to maintain its pursuit of the Thunder until the poaching vessel returns to port, and is handed over to authorities.
The Sam Simon is carrying onboard 72 kilometres of illegal gillnet, abandoned by the Thunder when if first fled from the Bob Barker. The nets will be used as evidence against the Thunder to aid in its prosecution.
The Thunder was the first of three poaching vessels that have been intercepted by the Sea Shepherd ships during the organisation's 11th Southern Ocean Defence Campaign, Operation Icefish.
On February 2, the Sam Simon intercepted another two Interpol-wanted poaching vessels, the Yongding and the Kunlun, in Australian waters in the Southern Ocean. Both vessels had illegal fishing gear on their decks at the time they were intercepted.
The Sam Simon subsequently engaged in a high seas pursuit of the Kunlun. On February 8, Captain Sid Chakravarty reported that he and the crew of the Sam Simon had successfully chased the poaching vessel out of its hunting grounds in the Southern Ocean.
Commencing in December last year, Operation Icefish is Sea Shepherd’s first Southern Ocean Defence Campaign to target illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing operators in the waters of Antarctica.
