Activists from the Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza display banners reading "Stolen fish" alongside the fishing vessel Jia Yu Fa. Two Taiwanese longline ships, the Her Hae and the Jia Yu Fa, were caught on camera by Greenpeace illegally transferring fish at sea. The transfer of fish at sea is one of the methods used around the world to cover up illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU or pirate) fishing activities. Globally, more than US$9 billion is lost annually to pirate fishing fleets which claim their profits in European, American and Asian markets, depriving coastal communities of millions of dollars of much-needed income.
Greenpeace is touring the Pacific Ocean as part of an international campaign for clean and healthy oceans through the creation of a global network of marine reserves and effective enforcement of laws that protect ocean life. Greenpeace is monitoring the pockets of international waters that Pacific Island Countries want closed from all fishing activities in order to protect the declining tuna stocks.