Skip navigation.

Pirate arrested

Greenpeace activists aboard the Rainbow Warrior confiscate an illegal driftnet found at night off the Southern Italian coast. Enlarge Image

Conflict in the Mediterranean

Our activists on board the Rainbow Warrior in the Mediterranean have been threatened by pirate fishermen wielding machetes and attempting to board the ship. Our crew was confiscating the huge illegal 'wall of death' driftnets that have been banned by the EU and the UN.

Greenpeace report: "Where have all the tuna gone?" Enlarge Image

Pirates of the Mediterranean

Careful me hearties, the Esperanza soon be sailin' in waters infested by tuna pirates. No these don't be swashbuckling fish. These be humans plundering the bluefin tuna - treasure of the Mediterranean! Pirate talk aside, the fate of Mediterranean bluefin tuna is a dire one. Over the past 20 years the population (biomass) of adult bluefin tuna has decreased by 80 percent. Today, catches exceed the legal quota by more than 12,000 tonnes (37 percent), including huge numbers of juvenile tuna caught every season before they reach breeding age.

Activists climb on board the illegal cargo ship "Binar 4" as it awaits entry to the port of Las Palmas. Enlarge Image

Pirate ship boarded and branded

Activists from the Esperanza have climbed on board an illegal cargo vessel full of fish stolen from Guinean waters. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation tailed the "Binar 4" for six days, as it sailed from West Africa to dump its pirate catch on the European market.

200 miles South West Guinea Bissau. Chinese fishing boats Lian Run 24 and Lian Run 29 illegally transshipping frozen fish boxes onto Binar 4 Panama reefer. Greenpeace and the Environmental Justice Foundation are working in partnership to expose the scandal of pirate fishing, as part of the year - long Greenpeace Defending Our Oceans expedition to highlight a range of threats to the oceans. Enlarge Image

10,000 boxes of stolen fish making for Las Palmas

We're on the tail of a huge cargo ship full of stolen fish heading to the Spanish port of Las Palmas. The fish, taken from the waters of one of Africa's poorest countries - Guinea Conakry - is bound for the plates of European consumers. Ships supporting pirate fishing should not be allowed entry to European ports. So Spain, are you going to let this happen?

We catch up with the "Rostock Girls", pirate ships blacklisted for illegal fishing, in the port of Klaipedia, Lithuania. Enlarge Image

The "Rostock Pirates" exposed in Lithuania

Just 24 hours after the Esperanza took part in the arrest of a pirate fishing vessel at sea off the coast of Guinea in West Africa, Greenpeace activists exposed twelve pirate fishing vessels in Lithuania -- including our old friends "The Rostock Girls". The hulls of the vessels were painted with the banner “Stop pirate fishing”. We are demanding that Lithuania refuses blacklisted pirate vessels - and it looks like they are listening.

This ship had been at anchor for two months - this man - the 2nd mate - didn't know when help would arrive. Enlarge Image

The Chinese zombie ships

Crew members from the Esperanza are on the Africa Queen inflatable boat, alongside an anchored trawler. This ship is more rust than metal - it's literally rotting away. The foredeck is covered in broken machinery. The fish deck is littered with frayed cables, and the mast lies horizontally, hanging over the starboard side. A large rusty Chinese character hangs on railings above the bridge, facing forward. It reads 'happiness'.

Aerial view of the Chinese pirate vessel Lian Run 14 prior its arrest for fishing illegally inside the Guinean Exclusive Economy Zone EEZ. Enlarge Image

Pirate fishing vessel arrested

We have arrested a pirate fishing vessel stealing fish off the coast of Guinea, taking a Guinean Navy officer and a fisheries inspector and working with crew from the Esperanza and the Environmental Justice Foundation. Our onboard campaigner, Sarah Duthie, said, "Today we found one pirate – but we know there is a fleet of them out here and in every other ocean, stealing fish every day.”

Pirate fishing: it ain't pretty. Enlarge Image

Unmasking the pirates

They steal from the poorest regions of the world to reap profits from selling fish to Europe and North America. They fly flags of convenience. They plunder, they bully. And we're going to have them arrested for it.

Activists prevent four pirate fishing trawlers from leaving Rostock harbour. The ships were involved in the collapse of redfish stocks in the North Atlantic in 2005. Enlarge Image

Ending the days of plunder: halting the pirates

Blacklisted trawlers, swapping flags and changing names… but they couldn’t plunder the high seas today. In the German harbour of Rostock, four pirate fishing boats awoke to find themselves hemmed in by chains and oil drums. One is now displaying not just a new flag, but a new banner reading “Stop pirate fishing”, courtesy of Greenpeace activists. A fifth trawler escaped in the night.

 
Other Languages

Sign Up for your FREE E-zine

If your country isn't listed, sign up to the International E-zine.

Donate

Choose your country to make a donation! If your country is not listed, you can select International.

The page will appear in a new window.

Related news stories

Related news releases

Related Reports

Related campaigns