MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Coalition calls for Uruguay to turn in suspected illegal toothfish boat

The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) has asked the Uruguayan Government to assist Australian authorities in apprehending the Viarsa, after the vessel was spotted inside the Australian fishing zone earlier this week, allegedly poaching patagonian toothfish.

The Viarsa was first spotted by the patrol boat Southern Supporter last Thursday, 7 August, near Heard and McDonald islands in the South Indian Ocean, inside the Australian fishing zone about 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) south-west of the Australian mainland. Australian authorities then gave chase, and the vessel left the territorial waters. In a statement, the Cape Town based COLTO spokesman Tim Reddell, said that he welcomed the actions of the Australian authorities in their attempts to deter illegal toothfish fishing from its Exclusive Economic Zone around Heard Island, and emphasized the magnitude of the problem faced by legal toothfish operators in trying to eliminate illegal fishing operations. "Illegal fishing for toothfish in areas under international management and jurisdiction has been estimated to be stealing as much as 20,000 tonnes of toothfish per year." "This is nearly the same quantity of fish being caught legally, under the strictest management and environmental regimes for fisheries in the world", Mr Reddell said. "We are hopeful that the Uruguayan Government can rapidly and comprehensively support Australian authorities by ordering the Viarsa to return to the port of Fremantle, Western Australia, under escort of the Australian fisheries patrol vessel, for further investigations." COLTO suspects that the Viarsa may have hoodwinked the Uruguayan Government, which is a member of the 24 Member Nations of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), and thus under obligation to monitor all Uruguayan licensed toothfish fishing vessels. This means, Mr Reddell explained, that a satellite vessel monitoring system (VMS) must be used to monitor the fishing areas of all licensed toothfish fishing vessel working in CCAMLR waters. In addition to ensuring boats are working where they claim to be, the legally required VMS is an integral part of the CCAMLR agreed scheme of catch documentation for toothfish. Officials use the VMS reports to verify that fishing has been undertaken within international CCAMLR rules and regulations, and then provide legal catch documents for the catch of toothfish, almost like a passport for toothfish products. The catch documents then travel with all legally caught toothfish products from the point of unloading to the point of sale. "The CCAMLR catch document scheme is one means used to assure customers and the general public that the toothfish being eaten has been caught legally, within the strictest environmental and fisheries resource management guidelines in the world," Mr Reddell said. "If it is true that the Viarsa owners and operators have been falsifying satellite position reports to the Uruguayan Government, this would have major ramifications not just for the Uruguayan Government, but for the entire system of monitoring used by CCAMLR. "Last year, the Uruguayan Government assured CCAMLR members that it was using satellite monitoring systems on a daily basis to track the fishing operations of all Uruguayan licensed toothfish boats - an international requirement of CCAMLR membership which Uruguay stated it had implemented". Mr Reddell believes that if the Viarsa has been fishing illegally it was without the knowledge of the Uruguayan Government, which means that the boat may well have been sending false position reports to the Government. COLTO have offered their full support to both the Uruguayan and Australian Governments in tracking down and prosecuting the illegal operators involved in illegal fishing of toothfish. "COLTO has photos of the Viarsa on its website at www.colto.org and is prepared to assist Governments and CCAMLR in any way possible to bring any toothfish pirates to justice" Mr Reddell said.

Argentina: First half exports top USD 208 million

During the first half of the year, 157,942 tonnes of fishery products were exported with a total value of USD 208.97 million, reports the National Food Quality and Safety Service (Senasa). Exports of fresh and processed freshwater and marine fish were up 23 per cent in volume and 17 per cent in value on last year's figures. According to Senasa's data, 128.691 tonnes of fishery products were exported during the first six months last year, with a total value of USD 179,02 million. The main export markets for the first six months this year were: ? Spain with 34,570 tonnes worth USD 54.49 million; ? Brazil with 21,886 tonnes worth USD 25.64 million; ? US with 11,032 tonnes worth USD 20.60 million; ? Italy with 10,458 tonnes worth USD 15.33 million; and ? Holland with 9.745 tonnes worth USD 11.73 million. Other destinations included Germany with 8,549 tonnes, Colombia with 7,.663 tonnes, Poland with 5,729 tonnes, Japan with 5,673 tonnes, Israel with 4,679 tonnes, and Uruguay with 4,387 tonnes. Senasa monitors all processing of seafood, from evisceration and immediate freezing on board factory vessels to processing carried out at onshore plants. It verifies the quality of fillets and blocks as well as the appropriate packaging and labelling.

Source: FIS/MP