MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan Fisheries Department on the spotlight

A controversy involving scientific observers on board Uruguayan flagged high seas fishing vessels became public this week in Montevideo following claims of payment contract breach and working conditions disregard in 2003 and 2004.

Among the vessels mentioned as having been involved in the "irregularities" is "Elqui".

In a full page interview in a Montevideo daily, the wife of one of the scientific observers claims that contrary to International Labour Organization accords, signed by Uruguay, the Uruguayan Fisheries Department, Dinara, unilaterally decided in 2003 to cut their per diem compensation from the established 85 US dollars to less than 35 US dollars.

Furthermore from October 2003 to July 2004 scientific pay cheques' did not include social security deductions which are mandatory under Uruguayan law.

Regarding working conditions, apparently the Uruguayan Fisheries Department, Dinara, also tried to drastically cut the number of observers by only having them on board vessels holders of licences C and D which are basically those operating in high seas.

According to Fabiana Terrenoire, Dinara's argument was that with the introduction of the VMS satellite tracking system, "observers were no longer needed". However, "it's easy to change the coordinates' information and actively send the wrong message. This was proved by the "Viarsa 1" and the "Maya V" caught red handed poaching in jurisdictional waters", points out Ms. Terrenoire.

This was further evident with "the recently captured "Elqui" which during all of 2003 and part of 2004 sailed without a scientific observer. This vessel discharged fish in Africa, Spain avoiding Uruguayan Customs and the Revenue Service. We informed of this situation to the former Agriculture and Fisheries Minister on several occasions but nothing happened".

Ms. Terrenoire added that to definitively push aside the "80 professional" scientific observers, Captain Yamandú Flangini who was Director of Dinara, created the figure of "contracted scientific observer" with a "minimal instruction".

Most recruits were from the Uruguayan Navy, but when the "Viarsa 1" incident, which was chased for weeks by several countries fisheries patrol vessels, the Uruguayan Navy command banned all naval personnel from fishing vessels fearing international complications.

Ms. Terrenoire stated she has documents showing that on two occasions Captain Flangini requested from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries payment "reinforcements" to help with the compensation costs of embarking scientific observers.

The two cheques, totalling almost 700,000 US dollars, were made effective August 2004 and February 2005 but, as Ms. Terrenoire indicates on board observers normally are paid by the vessels owners.