MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Patrol boat finally joins pursuit.
Frozen squid supply may drop.

The SA Agulhas finally set sail on Tuesday (19 August) from Marion Island, and was heading at full speed to join the Australian patrol boat, the Southern Supporter, in hot pursuit of the Uruguayan vessel, Viarsa.

Although the South African authorities agreed a few days ago to assist their Australian counterparts in apprehending the suspected poachers, vicious weather kept the SA Agulhas port bound until Tuesday, reports News 24. The head of Marine and Coastal Management, Horst Kleinschmidt, said the boat was capable of making 10 knots "in most weather conditions". "The SA Agulhas left Marion (Tuesday) heading in a south-westerly direction to get to the point close to the Australian vessel and the Viarsa 1. "This will take three to four days," he said. It is estimated that the Viarsa's top speed is "two or three knots slower" than the SA Agulhas. The Viarsa is reportedly travelling west towards South America, and has been slowed down by ice floes, which the boat had some difficulty negotiating, and in a bizarre turn of events was even helped out of a tricky situation by the Southern Supporter. The Australian Fisheries Minister, Ian Macdonald, said that the patrol boat, Southern Supporter, assisted the Patagonian toothfish pirates to steer out of treacherous icy waters before resuming their chase, reports the Melbourne Herald Sun. "In the last 24 hours, the (Viarsa) went into some very dangerous ice territory with the hope of trying to lose the Australian pursuer," Senator Macdonald said. "It ended up that we had to give it some advice to . . . get them out of that area." The patrol boat is keeping up with the fugitive ship, and is within 300 m of the Viarsa, which it has pursued over 1,800 nautical miles, the equivalent of 3,300 km. The boats are now about 1,200 nautical miles south of Cape Town. The Patagonian toothfish, also known as the chilean sea bass, fetches high prices in Asia, and demand for the fish has jumped over of the past decade whilst production of the fish has dropped, creating a very lucrative black market. Some reports put the price of the fish around AUD 100 a kilogram. It is estimated that poachers manage to harvest more than 2,000 tonnes of toothfish a month from local waters. Only four fishing companies in Australia are licensed to catch the species, and they abide by an annual catch quota of about 2,900 tonnes. At this rate, the fish will be commercially extinct by 2007, say conservationists, because of over-fishing. Once the South African boat arrives at the rendezvous point, fisheries inspectors will then attempt to board the Viarsa. "Our guys will try to board her. This will probably be done by dinghy," said Mr Kleinschmidt. "Our inspectors have sidearms, but we don't expect any resistance from the Viarsa's crew." If the holds of the Viarsa are found to contain Patagonian toothfish, the boat will be seized in terms of the United Nations law of the sea convention. There is a "very big likelihood" that the arrested vessel will be brought to Cape Town, said Mr Kleinschmidt, depending on the fuel situation. The Heard and McDonald islands are located about 4,000 km south-west of Perth, and are Australian possessions.

Government welcomes assistance in high-seas pursuit

The Australian Government has welcomed offers of assistance from a number of countries, including South Africa, for the hot pursuit of the suspected illegal fishing boat Viarsa. Fisheries Minister Senator Ian Macdonald said the offers were further proof of the international support building behind efforts to get the Viarsa to accompany our patrol vessel to an Australian port. "This is not the first time that Australia has united with other countries to tackle the problem of alleged Patagonian toothfish poaching," Senator Macdonald said. "In 2001, South Africa helped Australian authorities to apprehend the South Tomi, another illegal fishing vessel detected in our sub-Antarctic fishing grounds." Senator Macdonald said Australia was now working both diplomatically and on enforcement options with South Africa and a number of other countries to develop ways of putting further pressure on the Viarsa's owners to comply with Australia's request that the vessel proceed to a suitable port. Dr Sharman Stone, Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Australian Antarctic Division, said that South Africa was particularly sensitive to illegal fishing for toothfish. "Their own fisheries were driven close to commercial extinction just a few years ago when relentlessly targeted by poachers," Dr Stone said. "South Africa, like Australia, is anxious to see the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) become a more effective vehicle for protecting Antarctic species. Justice and Customs Minister Senator Chris Ellison said South Africa's willingness to help Australia sent a clear message that the international community would work together to combat illegal fishing. "By now, it should be pretty clear to the Viarsa that its best course of action is to stop trying to outrun our patrol vessel and instead, comply with Australian orders," Senator Ellison said. Senator Ellison said Australia's Customs and Fisheries patrol vessel, the Southern Supporter, had now been in pursuit of the Viarsa in the dangerous waters of the Southern Ocean for nearly 12 days. "Since that time, the two boats have travelled more than 1,800 nautical miles south west from where the pursuit first began inside the Australian Fishing Zone around Heard Island and McDonald Islands," Senator Ellison said. "Latest reports received back from the Southern Supporter, which is 1,200 nautical miles due south of Cape Town, confirm that the weather and sea conditions continue to be icy cold and difficult. However, we remain committed to pursuing the Viarsa."

Frozen squid supply may drop

Frozen Japanese flying squid and Jumbo flying squid inventories will probably be considerably be lower than last year's, according to sector sources. The total supply for 2003 - including imports and excluding cuttlefish - are estimated to be around 450,000 tonnes, which is less than last year's 500,000 tonnes and the lowest volume in the last 16 years, reports the National Federation of Fishing Cooperatives. The Japanese flying squid supply - fresh and frozen - is likely to reach 250,000 tonnes this year, which is a 4 per cent increase on last year. But North Pacific and Peru Jumbo flying squid may be down as much as 53 per cent on last year, reaching just 35,000 tonnes. The Federation also estimates that the supply of South Atlantic product will be down 14 per cent on last year's total, while product from New Zealand may increase as much as 80 per cent. It also forecasts imports totalling 59,450 tonnes, bringing the total supply to 450,540 tonnes. The total demand is estimated at 370,540 tonnes, which means 80,000 tonnes in inventories by the end of the season - a 10 per cent drop from last year's level. During the January- July period, fresh Japanese flying squid production increased 15 per cent, while frozen product declined 24 per cent. Peruvian Jumbo flying squid catches in international waters were down 17 per cent, according to the Centre for Fisheries Information Services. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data shows that, during the first six months this year, frozen squid inventories - excluding cuttlefish - totalled 71,811 tonnes. This is a four per cent drop on the same period last year, which recorded one of the lowest volumes in recent years. South Atlantic product values were down one per cent on last year, they remained stable in Peru, and were up three per cent in the Pacific. The Japanese flying squid prices were higher than last year's values.

Source FIS