The Greenpeace flagship, ‘Rainbow Warrior’ recently finished its two week surveillance of Mozambique waters, as part of its cooperation with the Mozambican Ministry of Fisheries.
The organisation had been patrolling the country’s waters and inspecting foreign fishing vessels which target tuna and endangered sharks. Mozambique’s waters are not closely monitored due to a significant lack of resources, creating an opportunity for illegal and unreported fishing.
Paloma Colmenarejo, international campaigner, Greenpeace, said: “Vessels which repeatedly fail to comply with the rules must be stopped. Our oceans and the billions of people dependent on them for food and jobs need proper control and enforcement of fishing regulations.”
During the joint patrol, 133,500km2 was covered and four foreign vessels were inspected – three Japanese and one Spanish. The Fukuseki Maru N˚ 27, owned by Fukuseki Maru Co Ltd, failed to cooperate and allow officials to weigh shark fins found onboard. The Mozambique government is currently considering further legal proceedings as a result of the violation of its licensing conditions.
Albacore tuna, bigeye, yellowfin and sharks are heavily targeted by longliners within Mozambique waters. Greenpeace is looking to key market players and tuna brands to ensure they have a traceable supply chain and is continuing its aim to achieve a sustainable future for the Indian Ocean and its surrounding communities.
