Pirate vessel grave yard with wardens on board 60 miles off Guinea Conakry. © Pierre Gleizes/Greenpeace
When we mention pirates, the most common image that springs to mind is of something comical, stereotyped, and fanciful. 'Pirate' has become synonymous with kid's cartoons, swashbuckling movies, and far-too-many fancy dress outfits. Beyond the likes of Johnny Depp and Captain Pugwash we might just associate piracy with illegal DVDs.
But increasingly real-life modern day pirates are making the news too, with dramatic confrontations in the waters off Africa
From a fishy perspective however there is another side to 'pirates', and that is what we refer to as 'pirate fishing'. Technically it's a broader description – Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing – but undoubtedly pirate fishing is easier to say.
And occasionally this makes the news, because of a lengthy high speed pursuit at sea.
All around the world this is a problem. With overfishing, illegal transshipments, outlawed fishing gears, and a lot of money is being made at the expense of not only our fish and oceans, but also of the countries whose fish is being stolen from them. There is also a more direct human impact, with many of those employed in the fisheries being treated abysmally and having to live and work in shocking conditions. We exposed the reality of this as part of our Defending Our Oceans tour back in 2006, off West Africa.
Greenpeace’s footage is now being used on BBC World News, as part of the ‘Earth Report’ series. For a shocking portrayal of what is being done to put cheap fish on our plates – check out the website for screening details.
