What should you do with a pirate ship?  Scuttle it!

At least according to legislation introduced yesterday by Senator Mark Begich and Representative Don Young.  The proposed bill gives the federal government authority to get rid of illegal fishing vessels in several ways, including sinking.

The bill follows the seizure earlier this year of the stateless high-seas drift-netter Bangun Perkasa 2600 miles southwest of Kodiak.  During that incident, Begich called on the Coast Guard to use the vessel for target practice, but they declined, citing jurisdiction and environmental concerns.

Instead the vessel was turned over to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement.  Spokesperson Julie Speegle says NOAA hasn’t decided yet how to dispose of the Perkasa.  In the past, seized illegal fishing vessels have been auctioned off.

Which, according to a press release about the proposed legislation, is exactly what Begich and Young want to avoid.  They say auctioning the vessel leaves open the possibility that it will be sold back into the illegal fishing fleet.

The bill offers up alternatives including using vessels for live fire practice, donating them for enforcement or educational purposes, or scrapping them for metal and parts.

NOAA and Coast Guard officials weren’t immediately able to comment on current alternatives to auction or on how scuttling is viewed under current law.

Jeff Wise is Director of the Global Campaign to End Illegal Fishing at the Pew Environment Group.  He says almost a fifth of all fish caught in the world is removed illegally or not reported.

“And that’s a serious problem because almost 80% of all fisheries are overexploited and unsustainable.  And this illegal activity is just making the problem so much worse.”

Wise says the United States is already a leader in fisheries enforcement; getting other nations on board is the next step.  He says an international treaty currently under consideration by the United States Senate would help do that.

The Agreement on Port State Measures was negotiated by the United Nations in 2009 as tool to combat illegal fishing.  It sets a global standard for dealing with pirate vessels.

So far only four countries have ratified the treaty.  In order for it to become binding international law, at least 25 need to ratify it.