Chilean fishermen aboard the vessel Achernar haul a meager load of jack mackerel up from the hold.

Fishermen sort jack mackerel aboard the Achernar before the catch is transferred by truck to a nearby fishmeal plant.

From New Zealand’s Waiheke Island, activist Martini Gotje tracks fleets across the Pacific and beyond, compiling a black list of vessels that fish illegally.

A crewman stands among a small load of jack mackerel aboard the Achernar. In better days, the hold was full within hours. 

Jack mackerel sold at market in Valpariso, on Chile’s coast. 

A fishmeal plant in the southern Chile port of Lota. Jack mackerel is turned into feed for aquaculture and pigs.

Along with industrial vessels, small-scale Peruvian fishermen survive by catching anchoveta not far from shore. 

Jack mackerel, fresh off the boat, is prepared for markets in Peru.

A fresh catch of anchoveta heads to a fishmeal plant in Peru. Peruvian anchoveta is the world’s largest fishery.

At the China Fishery Group fishmeal plant in La Planchada, Peru, few outsiders are allowed past the gate. CFG is a subsidiary of seafood giant Pacific Andes International Holdings from Hong Kong.

Jack mackerel populations are so low off Chile’s coast that fleets have not reached their full quotas since 2007.