Greenpeace Evidence Prompts Russia to Detain Notorious Pirate Fishing Fleet

A letter from the captain of the Kaliningrad Sea Fisheries Port, V.F.
Morozov, (2) confirms the authorities will "conduct an inspection of these
vessels, as well as to not process ship documents, and documents of the crew
of these vessels in order to prevent their leaving of the port of
Kaliningrad until the appropriate organs take a substantiated decision on
the given situation."

"This decision shows, that if they are actually enforced, there are some laws and international agreements that can stop pirate fishing. But, the majority of the high seas remain largely unregulated by such legislation. This needs to stop. The worlds governments have a chance to take the first step by establishing a moratorium on high seas bottom trawling at the United Nations this week," said Frode Pleym, Greenpeace ocean campaigner on board the Arctic Sunrise in Kaliningrad.

Greenpeace has taken action against the pirate fleet on a number of occasions when they have been repaired and re-supplied illegally by signatories to North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, NEAFC. In March 2006 Greenpeace took action against vessels from the fleet getting services
in Rostock, Germany, Swinoujscie, Poland and Klaipeda, Lithuania

Today, Greenpeace also filed an official complaint with the EU Commission,
demanding the Commission enforce Community fisheries law which the
international environmental organisation claims Germany violated after officials assisted the pirate fleet during their stay in Rostock.

"Russia is now doing what other countries should have done a long time ago.
By detaining the pirate fleet Russia is setting an important precedent in terms of making illegal fishing history, an example that other countries must follow," added Frode Pleym.

The Greenpeace ships, the Arctic Sunrise and Esperanza are exposing the threat of pirate fishing in Russia and in the Pacific as part of the Defending Our Oceans campaign. Illegal fishing is a global problem, accounting for 20% of the world's total fish catch and worth up to $9 billion a year.