A Renegade Trawler, Hunted for 10,000 Miles by Vigilantes

A global chase of a trawler for illegal fishing is a thrilling high-seas adventure tale: “For 110 days and more than 10,000 nautical miles across two seas and three oceans, the Bob Barker and a companion ship, both operated by the environmental organization Sea Shepherd, had trailed the trawler, with the three captains close enough to watch one another’s cigarette breaks and on-deck workout routines,” reports Ian Urbina for the New York Times. “In an epic game of cat-and-mouse, the ships maneuvered through an obstacle course of giant ice floes, endured a cyclone-like storm, faced clashes between opposing crews and nearly collided in what became the longest pursuit of an illegal fishing vessel in history.” The industrial-scale vessel last known as Thunder had also been linked to money laundering and tax evasion. The trawler had been banned from fishing in the Antarctic since 2006, but was spotted casting gill nets, keeping only toothfish, renamed as Chilean sea bass, that are in high demand by restaurants. Nations fail to invest in protecting common international waters. From December to April, the activists were relentless in tracking the trawler and collecting evidence until the crew gave up, likely sinking the vessel in waters off Nigeria. One politician noted, “Sea Shepherd is doing what no one else will.” – YaleGlobal