Pirate fishing happens in every sea and ocean, but tends to concentrate in areas that are inherently difficult to patrol - like on the high seas, far from the state jurisdiction - or in the coastal areas of poor countries that simply do not have the means to control and survey their waters. It's in these places that pirates make the best of their business.

As I said, this happens in every sea and every ocean. We are currently heading to the rich tuna fishing grounds of the Atlantic Ocean, where these pirates are putting tuna populations at risk. They're assisted by a fleet of refrigerated vessels which will take the illegally caught tuna into port. Catch from legal and pirate vessel are mixed together, making it very difficult to identify what has originated from illegal activities. That's what we expect to witness, and what we expect to report to governments, port authorities and all our supporters.

It is not a new issue for governments or international fora. In 2001, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) approved an International Plan of Action to fight Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IIU) fishing, the "technical" name for what we usually call pirate fishing. In the following years many countries adopted their National Plans of Action following the FAO guidelines.

But in truth, very little has changed. Despite the Plans of Action and despite many international meetings and declarations, what we expect from governments is less words and more action. Five years have passed and very little has changed. Our oceans can not afford it anymore. Too many species and fishing grounds have been depleted - some have been even taken to the verge of collapse.

This is the first step. We don't want the global network of marine reserves we are aiming for be poached by pirates. The first thing we have to do is to get Governments to act against them.

- Sebastián
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