The Patagonian Toothfish, commonly known as sea bass, is being fished to extinction. So valuable is this fish that the men who catch it illegally call it 'white gold'. And these fishing pirates of the high seas will go to extreme lengths to bring in catches worth millions. But for how much longer? At this rate the Patagonian Toothfish will be wiped out completely in the next few years.

In the first episode of 'White Gold', Earth Report found out just how far these pirates were prepared to go in order to bring in their multi-million dollar catches. In this week's episode, Earth Report finds out how the authorities and conservationists are getting tough - closing the net around the pirates and the governments implicated in this trade.

High price of pirating

In the French island port of Reunion lie five pirate vessels caught by the French Navy. For these boats the price of pirating will far exceed the millions they may have made selling their illegally gotten gains. Faced with a lengthy stay in port, these vessels are effectively out of action. And the French government is getting tougher. If the owners are prosecuted successfully, their vessels may be stripped and sunk.

But getting caught is a risk owners are willing to take. By equipping their pirate vessels with the same high-tech equipment that the French Navy uses to find them, the pirates have evened up the stakes in this game of cat-and-mouse.

High technology

With similar radar capabilities to the French Navy, the pirate vessels are able to detect boats within a 120 mile radius of their position. And pin-pointing a Navy boat, which moves much faster than a fishing boat, is not hard. But the Navy has found a way of catching the pirates out. When they find evidence of fishing buoys, they lie in wait, motionless, for up to two days until the pirates return - when they can arrest the captain and impound the boat.

Pressure from above

Just two hundred nautical miles from Reunion is the Island of Mauritius, which in the past turned a blind eye to pirate boats landing their illegal catch in its port. Things are changing though. In 1999 the French President, Jacques Chirac, returned the small island of Tromelin to Mauritius in return for the Mauritian authorities closing their port to illegal catch. Earth Report went undercover to see if any trading companies were still buying and selling illegal sea bass - none were. Finally, political pressure seems to be having an effect.

Creating a sea of change

Until recently, many of these pirate ships were owned by Nowegian operators. But pressure from the conservation NGO ISOFISH has all but shut down their business. By informing the Norwegian media, government, banks and insurance agencies, ISOFISH made it almost impossible for these people to continue. Norway, a country which prides itself as an environmental leader, has taken strong action to ensure that boat owners involved in this illegal trade stop immediately or lose their licence to fish in Norwegian waters. And this blacklisting policy extends to the boat as well as the owner - meaning that the second-hand value of the vessel plummets. But not all governments are as conscientious...

The bad news...

Spanish owned pirate boats remain the chief concern for conservationists like ISOFISH. Notoriously tough and inured against criticism from other countries and fishing industries, Spanish vessels continue to plunder the Southern Ocean. And unless the Spanish government can stop this illicit trade, Spanish pirates alone might wipe out the Patagonian Toothfish in the next three years.