6 August 2004
Australia, NZ And USA Allied To Fight Illegal Fishing
Australia is helping to lead the way with a new approach to combat illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean through the
adoption of a centralised Vessel Monitoring System.
Australia, New Zealand and the United States have joined forces to help convince fellow CCAMLR (Commission for the
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) members of the value of a centralised Vessel Monitoring System to
help combat the illegal fishing of toothfish.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Australian Minister for the Environment, Dr Sharman Stone, told a seminar in Canberra
for representatives of Canberra diplomatic missions of CCAMLR member countries, that Australia had taken a lead in
trying to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU).
Dr Stone, who also has parliamentary responsibility for the Australia’s antarctic policies and programs, said CCAMLR
manages the harvesting of the living resources of the Southern Ocean and takes into account the effects of harvesting on
individual species, as well as the Southern Ocean ecosystem.
“Patagonian toothfish fetch a high price on world markets and hence the targeting by poachers who do not take measures
to prevent by-catch deaths, for example, albatross caught on baited long-line fishing hooks,” Dr Stone said.
“CCAMLR has a Catch Documentation Scheme which tracks the taking, landing and trade of toothfish, however more tools are
required to stop IUU fishing.” Dr Stone said the flag states currently monitor their vessels using a Vessel Monitoring
System, but that it was essential that claims made by vessels about where toothfish were caught, were also able to be
independently verified and validated. Dr Stone also advocated the use of tamper-proof units on board fishing vessels.
“Last year the VMS onboard the arrested illegal fishing boat, Viarsa, had been tampered with to show the boat was 3000
nautical miles from where it was detected by an Australian patrol vessel inside Australian waters near Heard Island,” Dr
Stone said.
"Under the proposal, tamper-proof. VMS units would operate continuously through the period the vessel was licensed to
fish in the CCAMLR area and data reports would be automatically made to the flag states fisheries monitoring service and
forwarded to the CCAMLR Secretariat in Hobart within four hours.
“Australia, New Zealand and the United States have been advocating a centrallised VMS for the last two years,” Dr Stone
said.
This week’s Canberra seminar provided an opportunity for members to learn more about the VMS and understand the
importance of protecting the globally important ecosystems of the Southern Ocean ad to build support for the next CCAMLR
meeting in October this year.
In July this year, Australia began armed patrols of Australia's Southern Ocean waters to protect the area from illegal
fishing as part of a fulltime surveillance and enforcement program.
Canberra 05 August 2004
ENDS