Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** eCentral - Your Entertainment Guide http://www.star-ecentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/8/20/world/6093300 & sec=world ________________________ Wednesday August 20, 2003 Toothfish chase turns into global fight CANBERRA: An Australian Customs boat's 12-day chase across icy southern seas in pursuit of a Uruguayan ship suspected of poaching a rare fish has turned into an international fight against illegal fishing. Fisheries Minister Ian MacDonald said yesterday a list of countries, including South Africa, Britain, the United States, Canada, India and Germany, had offered to help catch the Viarsa with its suspected catch of Patagonian Toothfish, a costly delicacy, also known as Chilean sea bass. “If we as a world don't do something about this now, we may destroy the last viable pristine set of waters in Australia, destroy the fishery completely, and take another species off the planet,” he told the National Press Club here. Demand for the white, flaky flesh of the fish has soared in the past decade, driven largely by Japan and the United States and sparking a lucrative black market that has given the fish the name “white gold.” The Australian fisheries patrol ship Southern Supporter has chased the Viarsa across 1,800 nautical miles through ice and rough seas with 10m waves near Antarctica. The Uruguayan vessel was first spotted on Aug 7 in Australia's isolated Heard and MacDonald island fisheries zone, 2,200 nautical south of the mainland. Macdonald said a South African ship heading to join the pursuit in the “most horrendous seas you'd ever experience” was now weather-bound but he vowed the chase would continue, if only to focus world attention on the impact of illegal fishing. “Chasing the Viarsa across the bottom of the world is something that will focus that attention,” he said. “We are conscious this may be the last throw of the dice.” Macdonald declined to give details of what help exactly Australia was receiving, saying it could jeopardise attempts to capture the Viarsa and its cargo of Patagonian Toothfish. A shipload of the fish, which can grow up to 2.2m long, can fetch about A$2mil (RM4.9mil). – Reuters <p><a href= " http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/fronts/HOME?SITE=MYPSP & SECTION=HOME " target= " on_top " >For the latest news from The AP Wire click here</a></p> <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.