The Spanish government has levied sanctions of AUD 13 million (USD 9.7 million, EUR 8.3 million) against three fishing firms that have long been involved in illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Spanish Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food, and the Environment levied the sanctions against three companies involved in IUU fishing undertaken by the vessels Thunder and Tchaw, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) said. AFMA did not list the companies that were fined.
“Following years of multinational investigations and pursuits of illegal Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish operators, several illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing operators have been apprehended and punished thanks to Australian authorities,” AFMA said in a press release.
Earlier this year, the owner of the Thunder, Spanish fishing tycoon Florindo González Corral, was fined EUR 8.2 million (USD 10.1 million) in a civil case brought by the Spanish government.
“Illegal fishing is a major threat to global fisheries,” said Anne Ruston, Australia’s assistant minister for agriculture and water resources. “We continue to do everything we can to bring these criminals to account.”
AFMA contributed to the effort to track Thunder, which had been reported as being involved in IUU activities in the Southern Ocean since 2005.
“While the vessels evaded capture for some time by changing their names and traveling to various fisheries across the globe, they could not escape the determined efforts of our fisheries authorities,” Ruston said.
