28
October 2008 - Panama — Yet another nail
has been put in the coffin of Japan's dying
whaling industry. We've managed to get the
Oriental Bluebird, re-supply and transport
ship of Japan’s whaling fleet, de-flagged
and fined, following a legal ruling by Panamanian
authorities. We are now calling on Japan
to scrap the illegal vessel together with
the rest of the whaling fleet.
The Oriental Bluebird,
used to refuel the Japanese whaling fleet
in the Southern Ocean and to ship whale
meat back to Japan, was found to be in violation
of a number of domestic and international
regulations by Panamanian authorities. On
October 8th it was fined the maximum penalty
due to violations relating to its permissible
use, the safety of human life and the preservation
of the marine environment. In human speak,
that means that the ship, which was only
supposed to be refuelling the fleet (in
one of the most fragile and pristine environments
in the world) was not supposed to be transporting
whale meat.
They should scrap the
entire fleet - not just the fridge!
We're proud to chalk
up this victory. Last year, we took action
against this ship in the high seas to prevent
the fleet from refuelling, and joined with
other environmental groups in Panama to
demand the vessel be de-flagged. We asked
why a ship flagged by Panama was allowed
to deliver whale meat to Japan, when Panama,
as a party to the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species, is specfically
forbidden from any such trade. Panama asked
a more basic question: why was it transporting
whale meat at all when it only carried permits
for refuelling?
Without a flag the owners of the ship, Hiyo
Shipping Co. Ltd in Japan, will be urgently
looking for a new flag State. But it would
make a mockery of international maritime
law if Japan continued to rely on the services
of this vessel. They should scrap it and
end the annual hunt in the Southern Ocean
Whaling Sanctuary.
Or will they make a
mockery of the law?
Japan has ratified an
international treaty which seeks to end
the practice of ‘re-flagging’ vessels in
order to circumvent international environmental
law. The treaty bars Japan from authorising
a ship to participate in the exploitation
of marine living resources for at least
three years, if that ship has changed its
flag after being found in breach of international
conservation measures.
Waste of money
The 'Oriental Blooper' is currently docked
in Shimonoseki, Japan, the home port of
the whaling fleet, which is due to depart
on its so-called scientific whale hunt in
the next few weeks. In addition to the millions
of taxpayer yen spent subsidising the whaling
operation; the Japanese government has this
year added an extra 800 million yen (US$8
million) for a coastguard ship to act as
so-called "protection" for the
fleet.
Tokyo Two face ten years
Meanwhile, two of our activists, Junichi
Sato and Toru Suzuki, are being prosecuted
in Japan and are facing up to ten years
in jail, for exposing an embezzlement scandal
at the heart of the whaling programme. Their
arrest was clearly a politically motivated
attempt to stifle opposition to the whaling
programme. We're demanding that the charges
against them be dropped immediately -- along
with the entire whaling programme.
Vast amounts of taxpayers'
money is being spent to defend the indefensible
and militarise a hunt of endangered whales
inside an internationally designated whale
sanctuary, for a programme that is neither
scientifically nor economically credible.
It's time for Japanese
taxpayers to wake up to the full scale of
illegality and corruption in the whaling
programme, and to ask why whales continue
to die for nothing more than to line the
pockets of a few Japanese government bureaucrats.
+ More
Activists lock pirates
of Portugal in port
28 October 2008 - Portugal
— Greenpeace divers have chained the propellers
of four vessels with a history of pirate
fishing to the quayside in the port of Aveiro.
Hoisting a banner demanding "Scrap
These Pirates", we're now calling on
the Portuguese Minister of Fisheries to
ensure that they will not be able to fish
again.
The vessels called Red,
Caribe, Brites and Aveirense are owned by
Grupo Silva Vieira, and all of them have
track records involving pirate fishing including
fishing without a flag or legal quota, using
illegal gear, using multiple identities,
and other breaches of international regulations.
Blacklist
The action comes just a few weeks after
we launched our blacklist of illegal and
unregulated fishing vessels on the web,
along with the companies that own them.
All four ships chained up today, as well
as their owner, are included in our blacklist.
The Red - formerly known
as Joana, Kabou and Lootus - is also officially
blacklisted by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries
Commission (NEAFC) and the Eureopean Union.
As a Contracting Party to NEAFC, Portugal
must adhere to the conditions imposed on
blacklisted ships, including refusal to
provide services and landing rights -- which
means The Red should not be in the berth
where we found it.
Lack of political will
But it is common for pirate vessels to receive
services in European harbours and continue
fishing illegally, despite current legislation.
The fact that a vessel, blacklisted by the
EU, has received docking permission and
services in Portugal demonstrates the lack
of political will by the Portuguese authorities
to tackle pirate fishing.
Illegal, unreported
and unregulated fishing is responsible for
a staggering 20 percent loss from the total
global fisheries catch and scientists estimate
that the revenue lost amounts to between
US$10-25 billion anually.
Stricter enforcement
needed
We are calling on governments worldwide
to live up to their commitments to combat
illegal fishing by ensuring that vessels
which continue to act illegally are scrapped.
They must strengthen the implementation
and enforcement of existing rules in order
to protect valuable fisheries.
The only way to effectively
stamp out pirate fishing is by radically
improving international coordination and
information-sharing to make sure there is
greater transparency in the fishing industry.
A key part of this will be setting up an
official global online record of fishing
vessels that includes a blacklist of those
vessels and companies involved in illegal
practices. Existing regional lists are limited
and disparate in the way they work, and
do not allow for a concerted global effort
to fight pirate fishing.
Another essential step
towards eliminating the so-called "Ports
of Convenience" would be to set strong
international standards for port states
through the adoption of a legally-binding
agreement. Countries can only block the
flow of revenue that sustains unscrupulous
operators by strictly monitor fishing vessels
entering their ports.
Market action and marine
reserves
Retailers and distributors
also need to reject pirate-caught fish.
Consumers shouldn't have to guess if their
fish purchases are supporting pirates. We're
urgeing retailers and seafood traders to
ensure that they do not purchase pirate-caught
fish or trade with companies listed as operators
of pirate vessels.
Governments must
work together to address pirate fishing
and establish a worldwide network of marine
reserves to restore fish stocks. The creation
of an effectively enforced network of marine
reserves, protecting 40 percent of the world's
oceans - with regulated, sustainable fishing
in other areas is the long-term solution
to overfishing and the recovery of marine
life in our overexploited oceans.
