MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
COLTO Offers assistance and information to Uruguayan Government inquiry on toothfish pirate pursuit
The international industry group representing the world's legal toothfish operators COLTO (Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators) has written to the Director of Uruguayan Fisheries ( DINARA) to raise its concern about statements he has been reported making about COLTO to a parliamentary inquiry investigating the Viarsa 1 incident.
In the letter to Captain Yamandu Flangini, COLTO said media reports of his testimony to the Uruguayan Deputies International Affairs Committee, gave the impression he may have been given misleading information about the COLTO organization.
To avoid further misunderstanding, COLTO has suggested to Captain Flangini that it would be happy to answer any questions he or the committee may have on COLTO and its aims and membership.
COLTO representative, Martin Exel, said he would also give Captain Flangini and the committee information and background that COLTO has in relation to boats with licenses from Uruguay such as the Viarsa 1.
" COLTO is also more than happy to pass on information on the company Navalmar S.A. that COLTO understands was registered as holding the Uruguayan license for the Viarsa 1." "Quite clearly COLTO is not a Commonwealth organization, " Mr. Exel said. "Claims that COLTO is preserving this resource for those countries are patently incorrect. "One of COLTO's major objectives is to stop any toothfish being taken illegally before unscrupulous operators put all members out of business and decimate toothfish stocks." Mr. Exel said that COLTO shared the concern of DINARA at the apparent ease of Uruguayan licensed vessels to tamper with satellite vessel monitoring systems. COLTO has previously raised this concern publicly (media statement 14/8/2003 Was the Uruguayan Government Tricked? COLTO alleges toothfish pirates falsify satellite vessel monitoring systems see at www.colto.org ) ?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 Government but for the whole system of monitoring used. The Viarsa 1 is due in the port of Fremantle in Western Australia tomorrow (Oct 3) to face charges that it was allegedly fishing for Patagonian toothfish in Australian territorial waters around Heard and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Further information: Jenny Hodder Manager Media and Public Affairs COLTO
0011 61 8 9202 2457 Mobile 0412 005 400 Martin Exel Spokesperson COLTO
0011 61 8 9202 2444
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