SYDNEY - Australian troops have been dispatched halfway across the world on a 10-day chase to seize a boat believed to have been fishing illegally in Australian waters for Patagonian toothfish.
The captain and his 43 crew members were arrested after a 4,000 km pursuit all the way to Africa where
they discovered 100 tons of the fish so valuable they are known as "white gold."
The Australian Defence Minister, Peter Reith, said yesterday that the Togo-registered boat, South Tommy, was spotted nearly two weeks ago by an Australian patrol boat as it fished off Heard Island, near Antarctica.
As the patrol boat, the Southern Supporter, pursued, the fishermen sped west towards the Cape of Good Hope, ignoring repeated orders to return to Australian waters.
Their boat was finally caught south of Cape Town, South Africa.
The annual catch of toothfish is restricted by international treaty.
But illegal fishermen are known to make over $NZ1 billion a year hauling in 110,000 tons of the fish, twice the legal catch.
The 50-metre South Tommy is now sailing under escort on a two-week journey to Fremantle, Western Australia.
The catch of Patagonian toothfish, also known as Chilean sea bass, mero and black hake, would have fetched about $NZ1 million in Japan and Ameriaca.
A squad of 41 Australian army and navy personnel were flown to South Africa, where they joined three South African naval ships to intercept the vessel in international waters, 400 km off the coast.
Mr Reith said the vessel was suspected of fishing in Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. "They were fishing in our area without authority," he said.
"We called on them to proceed to Fremantle, they attempted to escape and, as a result of the efforts of fisheries authorities and the Australian Defence Force, we were able to effect this very successful operation."
The Australian Fisheries Minister, Wilson Tuckey, said: "Had we not intercepted it when we did, it would have gone on until the fish stopped biting, so it would have ended up with 200 or 300 tons, which would have been tragic.
"The great message of all this is: if you want to fish in Australian waters, if you want to destroy our fish resources environmentally, then we're going to chase you all the way to Africa to catch you, and that's what we did."
If convicted of poaching under the Australian Fisheries Act, the crew would face fines of up to $NZ611,000 and probable forfeiture of their boat.
- INDEPENDENT
SYDNEY - Australian troops have been dispatched halfway across the world on a 10-day chase to seize a boat believed to have been fishing illegally in Australian waters for Patagonian toothfish.
The captain and his 43 crew members were arrested after a 4,000 km pursuit all the way to Africa where
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