Posted on October, 25 2002

Gland, Switzerland - WWF, the conservation organization, is calling on governments attending the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia, to support an Australian proposal to list the Patagonian toothfish on Appendix II of CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This listing is critical in order to combat the pirate fishing that is currently devastating Southern Ocean stocks of the valuable Patagonian toothfish. While there is a legal international market for Patagonian toothfish, the species is so valuable on the international market that pirate fishing is rampant. Main markets for the fish are in Japan, the USA, the EU and Canada. Over the past four years, of the approximately 240,000 tonnes of Patagonian toothfish reaching the market, only half was legally caught. Not only do the pirates threaten to wipe out the Patagonian toothfish, but they also devastate albatross populations and other seabirds. Sperm whales and elephant seals that feed on toothfish may also be affected by its decline. A report, ‘The Alphabet Boats’ by Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd, a major Australian fishing company, provides a dramatic account of an international ring of toothfish pirate boats on the high seas. It alleges systematic pirate fishing for toothfish organised by a company called Pacific Andes International Holdings, a Hong Kong-based global fishing company. "WWF welcomes the publication of this shocking report which helps prove that effective international regulation is the only way consumers can be assured that the fish on their plate is obtained legally," said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF’s Species Programme. WWF wants to see governments attending CCAMLR in Hobart this week take firm action to reduce pirate fishing and the import of 'illegal' toothfish. In particular, WWF would like to see strong support for an Australian proposal to list the Patagonian toothfish on Appendix II of CITES. If this proposal were adopted, it would put in place international regulation mechanisms that could help to reduce the illegal catch of toothfish while allowing the legal trade to continue. WWF is urging a number of key governments to live up to their statements and commitments to tackle pirate fishing. In particular, WWF is concerned that the European Union has not yet expressed its backing for the Australian proposal - despite having expressed its support for sustainable fishing at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. WWF is calling on all EU governments at CITES, especially Spain and France, who have rejected traditional reform through the Common Fisheries Policy, to back Australia’s proposal to list the toothfish under Appendix II. WWF also expects to see both Norway and Japan coming out in favour of the Australian proposal. Both countries have expressed their support for combating illegal, unregulated, and unreported (IUU) fishing. Norway has promoted an International Plan of Action against IUU in the FAO, and at CCAMLR Japan has demonstrated its concern about IUU fishing of toothfish. "Three quarters of global fish stocks are seriously depleted or over-exploited, and pirate fishing is exacerbating this appalling situation. If we want to maintain a legal fishing industry, governments must crack down on illegal fishing - and Australia's initiative at CITES is a major step in that direction. So the eyes of the world are on Hobart this week – it is vital the right decision is made,” Dr Lieberman added. For further information: Matthew Davis, Species Programme, tel: +44 1483 412 572, email: mdavis@wwf.org.uk Kyla Evans, Head of Press, tel: +41 22 364 9550, email: kevans@wwfint.org Notes for editors: A large predatory fish, the Patagonian toothfish is particularly vulnerable to overexploitation due to its low productivity, late reproductive maturity (12-15 years) and low birth rate. Toothfish populations are highly localised: the main stock is found in the southern oceans regulated under the CCAMLR convention (on the high seas) and on the continental shelves of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, within the EEZs of Chile and Argentina. The Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) is commonly sold as: • Merluza negra (Spain) • Bacalao de profundidad (Spain and Chile) • Chilean Sea Bass (US and Canada) • Legine (France) • Patagonian toothfish (UK) • Black hake