Australia: "Last Chance" To Stop Pirate Fishing In The Southern Ocean

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Scientists in Australia have warned that fish piracy is damaging the Southern Ocean to such an extent that time is running out to save it.

Illegal fishermen, primarily on the hunt for the prized Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides), are wiping out both fish stocks and bird species that live in the ocean. Species numbers are said to have dropped so acutely that Australia has called for global help to tackle the pirates.

"It is probably the last chance for us to get it right," Dr Adel Pile, of Sydney University, told BBC World Service's One Planet programme.

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Australia recently deployed an armed surveillance ship to protect fish stocks, but campaigners already fear the Patagonian toothfish has been hunted to near extinction. Known as the "white gold" of Antarctica, the toothfish's flaky flesh is a delicacy in Japan and the US, and the strong demand for it in these countries has fuelled the illegal trade. Indeed, there are fears that many fish pirates operate with the corrupt support of governments in many countries."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3421313.stm