7 November
2006 - The Australian Government has scored a
win in the fight against illegal fishing in the
Southern Ocean at the annual Commission for the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
(CCAMLR) which ended in Hobart at the weekend.
The Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, said that
Australian measures to prevent illegal, unregulated
and unreported (IUU) fishing in the CCAMLR region
were adopted by the Commission.
“Member and Party nations agreed
to a binding Conservation Measure placing an interim
prohibition on deep-sea gill-netting in the CCAMLR
Convention Area, stronger port controls and improvements
to the Patagonian toothfish Catch Documentation
Scheme,” Senator Campbell said.
“We need these measures if we
are to make significant headway in the fight against
illegal fishing.
“It is becoming apparent that
some fishing vessels operating illegally in CCAMLR
and adjacent waters are not only taking Patagonian
toothfish but are also targeting sharks.
“This is a particularly worrying
trend as it appears that demersal gillnets are
beginning to be used. These nets are pulled along
or close to the ocean floor and are not selective
about what they catch.
“The Australian Government is
opposed to needlessly destructive fishing techniques
and the use of these kinds of gill-nets in the
CCAMLR region is extremely hazardous to the delicate
ecosystem.”
Senator Campbell said that the
Commission also agreed to stronger cooperation
with nations that are not members of CCAMLR to
ensure that fish pirates cannot unload their illegal
catches, such as Patagonian toothfish.
“It is clear that CCAMLR member
countries alone cannot combat the activities of
all illegal fishers,” Senator Campbell said.
“In order to make significance
progress against illegal fishing we must encourage
other countries to monitor vessels and control
catches to ensure they are not used as ports of
convenience to unload illegally-caught fish.
“By limiting the number of nations
that turn their backs to illegal fishing we will
be able to identify offending parties and take
action against them.
Senator Campbell said the Australian
Government had a responsibility as a world leader
in Antarctic science to ensure the protection
of the continent and the surrounding ocean for
the benefit of future generations.
Rob Broadfield (Senator Campbell’s
office)
