IUU Fishing. The Real-Life Saga of the Stolen, Renamed and Re-flagged Naham 4

Best-seller maritime fiction writers would be hard-pressed to come up with a more compelling plot than the astonishing, real-life, Cape Town saga of an allegedly stolen, renamed and re-flagged, fishing vessel, the Naham 4, to avoid detection and capture and continue unabated with her nefarious and illegal, activities.

No wonder the level of disquiet by various South African authorities, the (then) Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries’ compliance (law enforcement) division and the Asset Forfeiture Unit included, The latter holding the vessel since March, 2013, over some 150 tons of illegally caught fish, mainly tuna, valued at R560 million and sold off by the State as more evidence surfaced by the day as to the vessel’s shadowy existence.