Poachers pursued over 7,000 kilometers
On August 28 2003 Australian Customs and Fisheries officers from the
Australian customs and fisheries patrol boat, Southern Supporter, backed
by armed South African enforcement officers boarded the Uruguayan flagged
fishing vessel Viarsa 1. The boarding and apprehension ended a record
breaking 21-day hot pursuit covering 3,900 nautical miles by Southern
Supporter and on-the-water support from South Africa and the UK – two
nations also concerned about illegal fishing.
On 7 August 2003 Southern Supporter sighted Viarsa 1 allegedly
engaged in illegal fishing inside the Australian exclusive economic zone around
Heard Island and the McDonald Islands in the Southern Ocean. The pursuit which
followed was unprecedented in both distance and level of international
cooperation to protect the marine ecosystem and Australia’s sovereignty
in its waters.
When Viarsa 1 was first sighted, it had concealed its identity
markings. Australian fisheries officers ordered the vesselto accompany
Southern Supporter eastward to Fremantle to investigate its activities
under Australian fisheries law. When the master of Viarsa 1 ignored the
order and started on a westward course, the hot pursuit commenced.
From the time of sighting, diplomatic action also took place behind the
scenes as part of the international effort to stop the vessel. Uruguayan
officials willingly cooperated, and provided the vessel monitoring data used to
verify where the vessel was geographically located. The vessel monitoring data
reported that the Viarsa 1 was 3000 nm west of its actual position,
which indicated that the vessel was misreporting its location to the Uruguayan
Government. Australia alerted Members of the Commission for the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and key port States about the hot
pursuit and the need to ensure that the catch not be off-loaded and traded.
Sixteen days into the hot pursuit, any doubts about the identity of the
Viarsa 1 were answered when crew members repainted the vessel’s
name, number and port of registration on the hull. The master of Viarsa
1 advised Australian fisheries officers on board Southern Supporter
that they had been arrested by the Uruguayan Government and were returning to
Montevideo.
At times during the pursuit the vessels headed into Antarctic waters risking
their safety amongst the sea ice. At one crucial stage the master of the
Southern Supporter had to guide the battered fishing vessel out of
danger.
Australia sought and obtained the assurances of other concerned CCAMLR
Members that Viarsa 1 would not be allowed to unload its catch or to
refuel in their ports. The Governments of South Africa and the United Kingdom
also offered on-the-water support to Australia. As a result the South African
icebreaker SA Agulhas, the South African ocean-going salvage tug John
Ross and the United Kingdom fisheries patrol vessel Dorada, joined
the chase in a multi-national enforcement effort .
By 28 August the vessels were south west of South Africa. The John
Ross launched a boarding party using two small Australian pursuit boats,
with Australian fisheries and customs officers and armed South African
enforcement officers on board.
Following the apprehension,Australia sought further support from South
Africa by re-provisioning both the Viarsa 1 and the Southern
Supporter off the coast of South Africa, before returning to Fremantle.
Australia and Uruguay continue to cooperate while gathering evidence.
Officials from both countries have worked together to collect evidence
collected from the Viarsa 1 and from Uruguayan fisheries records.
Charges were laid against the master and four crew members on 10 October
2003 under Australia’s Fisheries Management Act 1991.
The extraordinary pursuit and successful apprehension of this illegal
fishing vessel was only possible due to the cooperation from other nations
concerned about illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean.
Antarctic and International Policy Section, AAD
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