New Zealand Warns Strong Action Against Illegal Fishing Vessels in Southern Ocean: Three Vessels Seized, Interpol Alerted

New Zealand has put illegal fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean on notice, with a warning of strong action against their owners. Foreign Minister Murray McCully reminded all violators that fishing in the area is regulated by the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and New Zealand will continue its hard watch with regular patrols in the Southern Ocean and target illegal fishing operations.

"As part of a multi-agency operation, the HMNZS Wellington has intercepted two vessels claiming to be flagged to Equatorial Guinea that had been fishing illegally in the Southern Ocean." McCully announced. New Zealand is also in touch with Equatorial Guinea and asking permission to board the vessels, once their flag status is verified, Scoop News reported. According to Mc Cully, the vessels are well-known as repeat offenders and are linked to Spanish interests. The foreign minister said the Spanish government has been informed on what has been discovered.

Interpol Alerted

The minister also said New Zealand had taken up the matter to Interpol for issuing a Purple Notice for each vessel, which would put alerts on the vessels and their owners, who may be residing in any of the 190 Interpol member countries. New Zealand is also coordinating with ports to ensure that these vessels cannot offload their illegal catch and make profit from the criminal activity. HMNZS Wellington gathered photographic and video footages of illegal fishing. The evidence is sufficient to take action against owners and benefactors of illegal fishing activities.

Inspection Of Vessel

Meanwhile, New Zealand authorities got the permission to board a vessel caught for illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean. The approval to board has been granted to the Navy's offshore patrol ship the HMNZS Wellington. But the safety of the New Zealand crew will be a priority in taking a final call in what could be a dangerous situation. McCully said the three vessels--Songhua, the Kunlun and the Yongding were not licensed to fish in the region and had been using banned fishing methods like gillnet. The minister said he wanted to "throw the book" at three fishing vessels caught by New Zealand for illegal fishing of lucrative tooth fish from the Southern Ocean. Officials suspect the ships to be working as a syndicate and "making a mockery" of the tightly regulated fishery in the icy waters around Antarctica, reported New Zealand Herald.

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