MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Proposal to hike fines on Falklands licenced vessels

Tierra del Fuego Senator Mario Daniele presented a bill proposing stronger sanctions on those foreign flagged fishing vessels caught in Argentina's EEZ operating with “illegitimate” licences extended by the Falkland Islands government.

The proposal which introduces reforms to the current Argentine Fisheries Federal Bill is geared to "eradicate" from the South Atlantic all those vessels which do not operate with Argentine licences.

Among other things the initiative proposes hiking the current fines on vessels with Falklands' licences caught illegally fishing from the current maximum of one million Argentine pesos (equivalent to 300.000 US dollars) to six million pesos, that is two million US dollars.

The main amendments to the current legislation are as follows:

1) The explicit prohibition to catch in the Argentine EEZ without an Argentine licence awarded in accordance with Argentine legislation. 2) Hike fines on foreign flagged vessels to the range of three to six million pesos. The current values of 10.000 to one million pesos don't seem to dissuade illegal fishing. 3) Currently those who voluntarily accept the fine can appeal and can have the value reduced to half the amount. The appeal is not to apply to vessels with Falklands licences. 4) When an Argentine company has a direct legal or economic link with the foreign company involved in the infringement, and the fine can't be made effective, the Argentine connection automatically becomes accountable. 5) Article 54 of the Argentine Federal Fisheries Bill states that authorities can decide the retention of the poaching vessel until the fine is paid. The amendment makes it mandatory to retain the vessel.

Senator Daniele from the ruling Justicialista party is a close ally of President Nestor Kirchner, a lobbyist for Argentine fishing companies and sponsor of the hard line attitude towards the Falkland Islands fishing industry.

This year's initiative from Senator Daniele coincided with the April 2 commemoration and the arrest of the Falklands' flagged vessel "John Cheek", allegedly for operating in Argentina's EEZ, a claim rejected point blank by the Spanish captain and crew.