CANBERRA, Australia — Australia will send an armed ship to patrol the remote Southern Ocean for poachers catching the prized Patagonian toothfish, the government said Wednesday.

The icebreaking vessel will have a deck-mounted machine gun and armed customs officials aboard with its civilian crew, the fisheries and customs ministries said in a joint statement.

The ship will patrol full-time in Australian waters near Heard Island and McDonald Island, which lie between Australia and Antarctica.

"While the primary purpose of the Southern Ocean patrols will be to detect and apprehend illegal fishing vessels targeting the valuable Patagonian toothfish, its presence will also send a strong message that Australia will not tolerate any breaches of its exclusive economic zone or its marine reserves," the statement said.

The Patagonian toothfish, often called Chilean sea bass, fetches up to $16.80 a pound. Its flaky, white flesh is prized in restaurants in Japan, the United States, Canada, and Europe. Many fear overfishing has pushed the species to the brink of extinction.

Australia's government has vowed to crack down on fish poachers after authorities in August spent 21 days chasing an Uruguayan boat spotted fishing in Australian waters off Antarctica.

Australian and South African officials boarded the suspected poachers' boat off Cape Town after a 4,000-mile chase through icy waters.

Nearly 94 U.S. tons of Patagonian toothfish were found on board. The case involving the Uruguayan captain and his crew is still in court.

Officials believe international poachers are harvesting more than 2,200 tons of the valuable fish each month. International law limits Australian fishers to catching 3,100 tons in a full year.

Nearly 80 percent of the Patagonian toothfish sold globally is illegally caught, according to the National Environmental Trust in Washington.