A multinational, high-seas chase of a ship fishing illegally in Australian waters has raised the profile of the Patagonian toothfish. Better known as Chilean sea bass, it’s a highly endangered species with a face only a mother could love yet one that’s become the poster child for experts pointing to overfishing worldwide.
THE 21-DAY chase through icy seas at the bottom of the world ended Thursday when Australian and South African authorities boarded an Uruguayan ship suspected of poaching millions of dollars worth of toothfish.
“The Patagonian toothfish is a very rare and valuable species, and the illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean we believe is part of a criminal conspiracy,” said Australia’s fisheries minister, Ian Macdonald.
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