The Royal New Zealand Navy is facing criticism from opposition politicians for having to call off the pursuit of three illegal fishing boats because its offshore patrol ship, HMNZS Wellington, was running low on fuel. But Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee said the criticism is nonsense and that the navy vessel had obtained all the evidence necessary of illegal fishing by three ships in Antarctic waters before breaking off the engagement. The patrol ship found three Equatorial Guinea-registered fishing vessels fishing out of season and catching protected species. But efforts to board the fishing vessels were unsuccessful because of storms.
