Five Viarsa crew face charges
2003-10-10 14:05
Perth, Australia - Five people have been charged with illegal fishing after a marathon chase of the Uruguayan vessel Viarsa I in the South Atlantic, accused of poaching the valuable Patagonian toothfish in Australian waters.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority said on Friday it would allege the men had illegally fished for toothfish within an exclusive economic zone surrounding Australia's remote Heard Island and McDonald Island territories in the Southern Ocean.
The vessel's Uruguayan captain, three Spanish nationals and a Chilean were due to appear in a Perth magistrates court on Friday, after the Viarsa I was brought into port in Western Australia last week.
The 21-day high-seas chase was co-ordinated by Australian, British and South African authorities after the ship was spotted on August 7 in the Southern Ocea.
Australian authorities are also searching for a Ghanaian registered vessel, the Alos, which was recently photographed fishing in the same area.
- AFP