A Guinean-flagged fishing trawler detained and under investigation by Liberian law enforcement authorities was arrested by the Liberian Coast Guard, with assistance from non-profit marine conservation group Sea Shepherd, as it attempted to evade justice by fleeing detention on 15 March 2018.
Taking advantage of a national holiday in Liberia, the fishing vessel ‘Benty 1’ endeavored to slip away under the radar of authorities for international waters. A Liberian Coast Guard Boarding team onboard the Sea Shepherd vessel M/Y Sam Simon intercepted the F/V Benty 1, just 7 nautical miles from the border between Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone.
Investigators discovered the F/V Benty 1 to be in poor condition, with water entering through the shaft propeller requiring bilges to be pumped out once an hour. On boarding, the F/V Benty 1 feigned mechanical failure and was thus towed back to the Port of Monrovia where it was remanded in custody.
Since February 2017, under the name Operation Sola Stella, Sea Shepherd has been assisting the Government of Liberia to tackle illegal fishing by providing the use of a civilian offshore patrol vessel operating in Liberian waters, under the direction of the Liberian Ministry of National Defense.
Operation Sola Stella has resulted in the arrest of eleven vessels for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to IUU fishing, which accounts for up to 40% of the fish caught in West African waters.
In 2016, Sea Shepherd partnered with the government of Gabon for Operation Albacore, resulting in over 80 fishing vessel inspections at sea and the subsequent arrest of five IUU Congolese fishing trawlers and one Spanish long-liner.
In 2018, Sea Shepherd began Operation Jodari with patrols against IUU fishing in the waters of Tanzania in partnership with the Tanzanian Deep Sea Fishing Authority, Tanzanian Navy, Tanzanian Drug Enforcement Agency, the Multi-Agency Task Team (MATT) and Fish-i Africa.
Illegal fishing is a main area for concern in the global fishing industry, resulting in significant environmental and economic damage. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, up to $23.5 billion worth of seafood is stolen from the sea each year, which is equivalent to 1 in 5 fish sold.
