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Dodgy and dodgier: pirate fishing around the world

Cod found in a pirate fishermen's net. Enlarge Image

Captain Birdseye

IGLO/Birds Eye Frozen Foods is the Number one frozen food player in Europe, operating mainly in the UK under the Birds Eye brand, and in Germany and Austria under the IGLO brand. Birds Eye proudly proclaims it makes, "enough fish sticks every year to stretch around the equator!" What they don't tell you is that over a third of their cod fish sticks could be stolen, the fish plundered illegally from the Baltic and Barents Seas.

Greenpeace confiscates illegal fishing nets. The net is registered to a Polish vessel fishing illegally in the Baltic Proper. Enlarge Image

Baltic piracy confronted

Yesterday, the Arctic Sunrise crew found illegal nets set for cod in the eastern Baltic. But the pirate fishermen are in for a surprise when they return. Our crew has confiscated the nets, but helpfully left a note on a buoy with a phone number the pirates can call to get them back.

Shy youth Young Baltic cod hiding on the seabed behind floating seaweed. Cod are severely over fished in the northern European seas and most are caught before they are two years old and have even had a chance to reproduce. Enlarge Image

3 retailers cut back on cod

Major Scandinavian food retail chains Netto Sweden, Lidl Sweden and Axfood (Willy's/Hemköp) have promised to quit buying cod from the Baltic Sea. At least a third of the cod caught and landed in the Baltic is stolen, and pirate fishing is making the recovery of certain populations impossible.

The Arctic Sunrise Enlarge Image

A third of cod from the Baltic Sea stolen by pirates

As our ship the Esperanza heads to the Pacific to tackle pirates and overfishing, the Arctic Sunrise heads north to battle another case of piracy. Our new report reveals that 30 percent of the cod caught in the Baltic Sea is stolen, bound for European supermarkets. Are there stolen goods in your refrigerator?

Stopping the Russian ship Mumrinskiy from unloading a potentially illegal cod shipment. Enlarge Image

Fishy cod reefer: activists demand inspection

As the Esperanza tackles pollution in the Philippines, our ship the Arctic Sunrise continues our expedition's battle against pirates. Activists demanded inspection of Russian-flagged reefer 'Mumrinskiy' in the Netherlands, suspected of carrying illegal cod bound for European dinner plates.

Workers on a Taiwanese purse seiner trans-ship yellow fin tuna and skipjack tuna to a reefer (refrigerator) ship. As fisheries collapse in other parts of the world, countries are moving their fishing fleets into the Pacific. Enlarge Image

Pacific tuna, our next mission

"If we do not want to see Pacific tuna go the same way as Atlantic cod, and Pacific livelihoods destroyed; we need to immediately halve the fishing effort and the amount of tuna being caught, end pirate fishing, and create a network of marine reserves – national parks at sea."
-- Fijian Lagi Toribau, chief campaigner on board the Esperanza.

 
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