Rogue ship a good catch

Rogue ship a good catch

The detention of an infamous rogue fishing vessel off Phuket deserves special notice and praise. Authorities apprehended the ugly-looking ship after it was chased by various nations for years. It has gone by an assortment of names and sailed under numerous flags, but always with criminal intent. The 625-tonne vessel was known and blacklisted worldwide for illegal fishing in and around the Antarctic.

The maritime police chased and caught the ship on March 6. It is currently called Kunlun but is also known as Dorita, Black Moon and Galaxy. Its flags have included North Korea, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Panama, Indonesia and Equatorial Guinea. Police have detained the Kunlun and its crew — 31 Indonesians, four Spanish officers and a Peruvian captain. A Spanish officer who apparently attempted to commit suicide is being treated at a Phuket hospital. The ship's owner is officially unknown.

There is quite a lot of bad news in the accomplishment of this feat by police. The capture of the Kunlun poses yet more problems for Thailand in its continuing, even escalating diplomatic battles. It turns out the Kunlun specialised in fishing for Patagonian toothfish, a highly regulated species near endangerment. Most Thais and visitors may know little about the toothfish, but millions are familiar with its other name - the snow fish, in Thai pla hima.

Seafood and Chinese restaurants, including at top-rated hotels, feature snow fish on their menus of "luxury dishes". It is popular for obvious reasons. For anyone who enjoys eating fish, it is by any name a succulent main-course ingredient at any dinner or banquet. Steamed, poached or pan-fried, the fish is extremely popular at any price.

It is impossible to think of a more damaging conflict of interests than the capture of the criminal Kunlun ship, and the widespread availability of a supposedly regulated species. The government remains to be heard from on the matter. But if there are any enforced regulations about importing, buying or selling Patagonian toothfish, aka snow fish, no market or restaurant operator seems to be aware of them.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is responsible for enforcing fishing regulations, said last week he did not know why Thailand faces criticism and possible sanctions from the European Union. He told media the military is trying to improve fishing standards. All but about 3% of fishing boats are registered and licensed. And now, from a completely unexpected direction comes a rogue ship with tonnes of illegal fish in its hold.

When detained by marine police - not the navy - the Kunlun had 182 tonnes of fish in its refrigerated holds. The manifest and the ship's captain told police boarders they were grouper. A quick inspection revealed most, if not all, the fish are snow fish. The ship was supposedly on its way to sell the illegal cargo in Vietnam.

Catching the fugitive ship and crew is a praiseworthy achievement. On the other hand, it now serves as stark reminder of just why the EU has turned on Thailand and threatened sanctions. The country has plenty of laws and regulations to deal with illegal fishing and trafficking in regulated seafood. As with human trafficking, however, those who are concerned want to see action against violators, rather than hear about new laws and paperwork.

The capture of the Kunlun should lead to a crackdown on both sellers and buyers of protected seafood. If crew and cargo of this serial poacher are to be punished, so must others who profit from such illegal fishing.

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