Australia calls for tougher action

HOBART - Australia urged fellow members of a 24-nation Antarctic conservation commission yesterday to boost diplomatic efforts to halt illegal fishing which is plundering the world's southern oceans.

"We need to increase substantially diplomatic pressure to ensure

that there's full global co-operation in trying to stop illegal

fishing and therefore the exploitation and potentially the

destruction of one aspect of the Antarctic ecosystem," Australian

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said.

"I think it's fair to say that the greatest concern we have

about the Antarctic convergence zone, the Antarctic region, at the

moment, is illegal fishing," said Downer, in Hobart to open a

meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine

Living Resources (CCAMLR).

 

Downer said Australia would put a resolution to the annual

commission meeting calling for a crackdown on fishing by vessels

using "flags of convenience" from nations that have not signed the

commission's treaties.

 

"Australia has proposed a resolution that condemns the

increasing number of vessels flagged to non-parties that fish in

the CCAMLR Area and calls for strong action against the flag

states," he said.

 

"We'd like the international community to be much more robust in

protecting the fragile Antarctic ecosystem, including its marine

ecosystem," he said.

 

Thirty-two governments have signed the commission's convention,

though only 24 states are members of the Hobart-based body,

including the United States, the European Union, Russia, Japan,

Chile and South Africa.

 

Australia has waged an intensive campaign against illegal

fishing in its southern waters, notably for the Patagonian

Toothfish - a prized delicacy marketed in the United States as

Chilean sea bass but known under a variety of names including mero

or black hake.

 

Earlier this year Australian customs ships tracked three

Japanese boats suspected of illegally catching toothfish in the

southern ocean, but Tokyo refused to give Canberra permission to

board one of the vessels.

 

Boats carrying the Togolese flag have also been spotted in the

area.

 

In 2003 Australian customs and fisheries officers chased the

Uruguayan-flagged Viarsa for three weeks and 7 000 kilometres

before boarding it and allegedly finding 85 tonnes of toothfish in

the trawler's hold.

 

Australian Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald said this week's

meeting needed to send a strong message that anyone caught

illegally fishing would be prosecuted and jailed.

 

"In recent times, I think the offences have become so prominent,

they've become so serious and they've become so organised that I do

think a very strong message needs to be sent, indicating that

jailing in the first instance is the proper penalty," he said.

 

- Nampa-AFP

 

"I think it's fair to say that the greatest concern we have about

the Antarctic convergence zone, the Antarctic region, at the

moment, is illegal fishing," said Downer, in Hobart to open a

meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine

Living Resources (CCAMLR).Downer said Australia would put a

resolution to the annual commission meeting calling for a crackdown

on fishing by vessels using "flags of convenience" from nations

that have not signed the commission's treaties."Australia has

proposed a resolution that condemns the increasing number of

vessels flagged to non-parties that fish in the CCAMLR Area and

calls for strong action against the flag states," he said."We'd

like the international community to be much more robust in

protecting the fragile Antarctic ecosystem, including its marine

ecosystem," he said.Thirty-two governments have signed the

commission's convention, though only 24 states are members of the

Hobart-based body, including the United States, the European Union,

Russia, Japan, Chile and South Africa.Australia has waged an

intensive campaign against illegal fishing in its southern waters,

notably for the Patagonian Toothfish - a prized delicacy marketed

in the United States as Chilean sea bass but known under a variety

of names including mero or black hake.Earlier this year Australian

customs ships tracked three Japanese boats suspected of illegally

catching toothfish in the southern ocean, but Tokyo refused to give

Canberra permission to board one of the vessels.Boats carrying the

Togolese flag have also been spotted in the area.In 2003 Australian

customs and fisheries officers chased the Uruguayan-flagged Viarsa

for three weeks and 7 000 kilometres before boarding it and

allegedly finding 85 tonnes of toothfish in the trawler's

hold.Australian Fisheries Minister Ian Macdonald said this week's

meeting needed to send a strong message that anyone caught

illegally fishing would be prosecuted and jailed."In recent times,

I think the offences have become so prominent, they've become so

serious and they've become so organised that I do think a very

strong message needs to be sent, indicating that jailing in the

first instance is the proper penalty," he said.- Nampa-AFP

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