“It is the hope of Sea Shepherd that just as the patrols are deterring incursions into what is essentially a marine protected area thus allowing fish populations to recover for fishing pressures, the arrest of Atlantide 1 will also deter finning operations at sea. Sea Shepherd is proud of supporting the leadership of The Gambia in eradicating illegal fishing from its waters as well as protecting vulnerable and endangered populations of sharks and rays”, said Captain Hammarstedt.

The waters of The Gambia are particularly rich in biodiversity as the country is positioned where the nutrient-rich Gambia River meets the Canary Current. The livelihoods of over 200,000 Gambians are directly or indirectly dependent on local fisheries while the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) believes that more than 46% of the assessed fish populations in the Eastern Central Atlantic are experiencing overfishing.