Hobart: Despite attempts to crack down on illegal Antarctic fishing, a report has found that there is still rorting and a refusal to tighten rules in the chase for high-priced fish.

Korean authorities found a fleet of three ships fabricated catch documents and ship tracks, apparently with Russian help, the preliminary report of the 25-member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) shows.

Uglier client: Sea Shepherd have taken up the cause of the toothfish, which is being illegally fished in Antarctic waters. Credit:Australian Fisheries Management Authority Antarctic Observer Program

At a meeting of the CCAMLR in Hobart, China has blocked attempts to impose an official observer watch on the krill fishery, which is growing at such a pace one hotspot had to be shut down midseason.

The renewed attention to illegal fishing comes as hardline activists of Sea Shepherd turn their attention to Antarctic fisheries, departing from the Tasmanian capital on Wednesday to hunt for illegal fishers while Japanese whalers rest their harpoons this summer.