The Rainbow Warrior, currently in Pacific tropical tuna grounds to investigate and expose out of control fishing practices, comes across the Taiwanese tuna longliner Shuen De Ching No.888 fishing without a license in the high seas close to Papua New Guinea's waters.
Inquiries with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency revealed nothing matching the name or the ship’s radio call sign on their list of vessels authorized to fish in these waters or in the waters of any neighboring Pacific Island countries.
On board the vessel, Greenpeace activists uncovered sacks containing 75 kilograms of shark fins from at least 42 sharks. Under Taiwanese law and Pacific fishing rules, shark fins may not exceed 5% of the weight of the shark catch, and with only three shark carcasses reported in the log book, the vessel was in clear violation of both.