Gabon is a country rich in biological diversity. Like its trackless forests, remote mountains and sandy beaches, its sovereign waters burst with life. Yet when large industrial purse seine fishing operators trap non-target species in their nets, Africa's Eden is threatened. By-catch is a major contributor to overfishing and poses a serious risk to the health of marine ecosystems. Having earlier cut free an entangled whale shark as part of Operation Albacore, Sea Shepherd continues to assist Gabonese authorities in their exploration of measures to mitigate incidental mortality and serious injury, and where possible aid the successful release of critical species... In this case a rare Bryde's whale. ---- Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Learn more about us: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/ Support our efforts: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/donate/

WATCH us combating illegal fishing in Liberia with the launch of Operation Sola Stella! Since the 2nd of February 2017 we've been working closely together with the Ministry of National Defense in Liberia to tackle the issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. It’s estimated that 15-40% of the global catch of fish is caught by IUU operators and in the region of West Africa that number is closer to 40%. Last year Sea Shepherd Global​'s historic accord with the government of Gabon resulted in the arrest of four IUU fishing vessels as part of Operation Albacore. We're now expanding our government cooperation and collaboration with Liberia to board and inspect any vessel entering Liberian waters suspected of criminal activity. On board the MY Bob Barker​ are Sea Shepherd crew from a number of different countries and ten Liberian coast guard officers, supported by Israeli maritime advisors and conservationists assisting with capacity building for the Liberian coast guard. Operation Sola Stella is a new campaign to further address the issue of IUU fishing in West Africa and bring criminals to justice. #OpSolaStella #OpAlbacore #PoachersBeware #FisheriesCrime ---- Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Learn more about us: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/ Support our efforts: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/donate/

Whale sharks are the largest fish in the ocean, originating on the planet more than 60 million years ago. As a result of global fishing pressures, both from being deliberately targeted for their meat, fins and oil and their death as bycatch in other fisheries, their survival is threatened. In July 2016 their status on ‘The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species’ was even upgraded from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘endangered’ – meaning that their populations have likely halved in the last 75 years. During the Bob Barker​'s most recent patrol of Gabon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, as part of Operation Albacore, the crew assisted in the release of one of the lucky ones that managed to get away. In continuing to document by-catch and survey release methods Operation Albacore remains steadfast in its commitment to assist Gabonese authorities in their exploration of measures to mitigate incidental mortality and serious injury, and where possible aid the successful release of critical species. ---- Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Learn more about us: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/ Support our efforts: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/donate/

Distressing Footage of the Devastating Impacts of By-Catch. The crew of The MV Bob Barker has captured distressing footage of the devastating impacts of by-catch. Of the total global catch of Atlantic tuna, 20% is caught in Gabon’s Exclusive Economic Zone, primarily by large industrial purse seine fishing operators. This method of fishing involves a net being deployed around an entire area or school of fish. The lead line of the net is then pulled in, "pursing" the net closed on the bottom, preventing fish from escaping by swimming downward. Often, non-target species such as sharks, dolphins, rays and turtles also become trapped in the nets. These unwanted species are known as by-catch. If the animals survive the stress of the encounter and the weight of the surrounding fish as they are hauled on to deck, they are released back into the ocean. However, many die and are subsequently discarded as waste. Through monitoring and documentation, Sea Shepherd is assisting Gabonese authorities in their efforts to mitigate incidental mortality and serious injury caused as a result of by-catch. “By-catch is a major contributor to overfishing globally, and has devastating impacts on the world’s oceans,” said Operation Albacore Campaign Leader, Captain Peter Hammarstedt. “We commend the Government of Gabon for tackling this issue, head-on and are honoured to be able to assist in their efforts to improve monitoring and enforcement in Gabonese waters,” he concluded. ---- Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Learn more about us: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/ Support our efforts: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/donate/

Industrial purse-seine fishing vessels catch more tuna than all other types of vessels combined, surrounding and scooping up entire schools of fish, and also non-target species such as turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins. Sea Shepherd's mission on Operation Sola Stella is to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Liberia in partnership with the Liberian Ministry of National Defense. Using the M/Y Bob Barker as a patrol vessel, Sea Shepherd crew assist the Liberian Coast Guard in monitoring and inspecting industrial fishing vessels to make sure they're not operating illegally or under-reporting their catch. Learn more about Operation Sola Stella and please donate to support this important work: http://bit.ly/SolaStella Video by Alejandre Gimeno/Sea Shepherd #OpSolaStella #Liberia #StopIUUFishing

Watch Sea Shepherd assist the Liberian Coast Guard in the arrest of 2 fishing vessels suspected of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Since February 2nd, Sea Shepherd has been working together with the Liberian Coast Guard to combat (IUU) fishing. Called Operation Sola Stella, the campaign has resulted in the arrest of five vessels involved in IUU fishing activity, including a refrigerated cargo vessel with undocumented fish cargo on board. The F/V Hispasen 7 and the F/V Shenghai 9, as documented in this video, were arrested and detained for a long list of violations. ---- Sea Shepherd is an international, non-profit marine conservation organization that engages in direct action campaigns to defend wildlife, and conserve and protect the world’s oceans from illegal exploitation and environmental destruction. Learn more about us: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/ Support our efforts: https://www.seashepherdglobal.org/donate/