Brigitte Bardot War Activists Libyan Tuna
Activists with the group Sea Shepherd went to France on Wednesday with an unexpected destination: waters devastated by the war in Libya. Their mission: to stop the fishing of bluefin tuna in danger of extinction because it is illegal in these waters.
"All vessels fishing for tuna found off the coast of Libya illegally," said Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said in a statement. "We will cut the nets to free the fish, and document and report their activities" to international officials.
"I do not have to worry about the Libyan aircraft or warships," said Locky MacLean, captain of the flagship "Steve Irwin".
"We are aware of the forces of NATO," he added. "We can not allow poachers to take advantage of the war by these magnificent fish in danger."
Sea Shepherd group is best known for taking on the Japanese whaling fleet, "said the 46 crew on board the Steve Irwin, was appointed late conservative Australian, and faster," interceptor "means a ship which had been recently named "Brigitte Bardot and the French tribute to the actress known for her animal activism.
Both vessels have departed before their scheduled departure time, Sea Shepherd has said, because they feared the French fishermen fishing outside Libya could try to sabotage from the port of Toulon.
When the group announced its intentions last month, said the crew would have body armor and protection of divers and the use of knives to cut the fishing nets.
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Once abundant in the Mediterranean, has generally been under severe pressure, the fishermen have plundered the waters well beyond sustainable levels. The European Union has established that none of its members fish in Libyan waters this year because there is no way to verify the licenses and implement quotas in a war zone.
Bluefin tuna is popular delicacies in the restaurants in Tokyo, where a piece of sushi can cost 2000 yen (24 dollars). The fish are up to 10 feet long and weighs over 1430 pounds. One of the great model applied to a record 32.49 million yen - about $ 396,000 - in Tokyo earlier this year.
History: defending battle poachers Tuna - Libya
The young, the Mediterranean Sea from mid-May to mid June, before leaving the Atlantic. But their number is so seriously endangered that experts fear they could disappear.
Last November, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, voted to reduce the annual fee that can be taken for about 4 percent, but environmentalists called the measure inadequate.
