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Opinions expressed in this column are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of SW. Pirate fishing kills ocean life
ECOTERRA Intl. Just borrow a leave from Somalia COMMENT: Just borrow a leave from Somalia. Since 10 years effectively without central government, Somalia's 3,300 km long coastline (the longest of any African Nation) and territorial waters were - before and after the fall of the former regime - the target for pirate-fishing ventures from all over the world, stealing mainly tuna and shrimp and destroying local, artisanal fisheries. Requests to UNOSOM (United Nations [supposedly peacekeeping] Operation in Somalia), the EU and the UN agencies FAO and UNEP to assist in protection of the 200 nm EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), also protectd by Somalias unique Fisheries Law, did not bear any fruits. The contrary: The then High Commisioner for Fisheries of the European Union (EU) Mme. Emma Bonino, born herself as a daughter of an Italian living in Somalia before the war, started under her second hat as Head of ECHO (European Community Humaniatrian Office) negotiations with Somali warlords on "fishing rights" for EU vessels (i.e. protection of the EU fishing vessels), thus clearly violating the United Nations Common Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). Thereafter shady private "protection-for-fishing-rights" ventures mainly from England and Italy (quietly supported and not counteracted by the EU) gave out illegally fishing licences. Only when Somalis realized that the threat to their natural resources actually came from all sides and when local Somalis started, based on UNCLOS, to stop, arrest and punish illegal intruders, the numbers of poaching vessels dropped. While the International Maritime Organization (IMO), who regularly issues warnings to vessels to stay off the Somali coastline) and UN security officers call the Somali defenders "pirates", the masterminds of the real pirates are sitting in Barcelona/Madrid, Brussels, Rome, London, Seoul, Bangkok, Singapore, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi. Certain critics state that the recent move to install a new central government for Somalia, was just pushed and paid for by Italy, the EU and UN in order to have a "legal" counterpart or further exploitation of the seas and other resources of that country. What is really going on is the gigantic fight of corporations and nation-states to "manage" and exploit the food-needs of a still exploding human population worldwide. Those, who still have fish in their waters, only can be advised for their own survival: Protect your waters by all means, close your gates and shut out the intruders and the real pirates from outside and from within. And local people, who feel weak to do so, should know: There are friends to help your local protection efforts all over the world. Fisheries’ Survival Depends on Pirate Crackdown ROME, Italy, February 23, 2001 (ENS) - Attempts to stop pirate fishing are doomed unless this week’s negotiations in Italy can improve on a draft international plan, said environmental group Greenpeace, Thursday. The Rome based UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is hosting negotiations on
the draft International Plan of Action (IPOA). The FAO says pirate fishing is “widely recognized as a major threat to the sustainability of the world’s fisheries.” Pirate fishing vessels are blamed for the destruction of marine ecosystems worldwide. Their unregulated nets and lines do not discriminate between countless tons of fish and hundreds of thousands of sharks, dolphins, sea turtles and endangered seabirds. Central to the burgeoning pirate fish trade are so called flags of convenience countries. Countries such as Belize, Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Panama and St. Vincent and the Grenadines allow fishing boats to operate under their flags without controlling the vessel’s activities. Unscrupulous owners use flags of convenience to avoid fisheries conservation and management regulations, as well as safety and labor standards. Nearly three quarters of the world’s major fisheries are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted, according to the FAO. There are 345 fishing vessels flying flags of convenience in the Atlantic alone, according to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic tunas (ICCAT). Many of these vessels are owned by companies based in European Union member states, primarily Spain. Greenpeace estimates that there are some 1,300 industrial scale fishing vessels flying flags of convenience worldwide. On Thursday, Greenpeace members made a splash on the final round of international negotiations by wading into Rome’s Trevi Fountain. Protesters entered the fountain with four model fishing vessels bearing what Greenpeace considers to be the four main flags of convenience - Belize, Honduras, Panama and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The activists displayed a banner saying “Pirate fishing kills ocean life,” before being arrested by police. Greenpeace backed up demonstrations in Rome with similar protests in Brazil and Mexico yesterday. A Greenpeace report published this week explains how vessels up to 100 meters long sail for months on end under flags of convenience, casting nets across the ocean floor up to two kilometers in circumference. Such methods drag up and drown thousands of species besides the intended catch. “Some 27 million tonnes of unwanted fish bycatch is caught, killed and dumped back into the sea each year, because of unselective fishing practices and gear,” said the report, “Pirate Fishing Plundering the Oceans.” Similarly, the bycatch of pirate longline fisheries in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica has claimed some 330,000 seabirds over the last four years, including endangered species of albatross. The birds are attracted to baits used in longline fishing for the lucrative Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides). The FAO estimates that 60 to 70 percent of the world’s major fisheries are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. Greenpeace is concerned that the draft IPOA falls short of closing ports to flag of convenience fishing and support vessels, and closing markets to flag of convenience caught fish. The group wants companies prevented from owning or operating flag of convenience fishing and support vessels. Similar measures were announced last November by ICCAT. Established in 1969, ICCAT is responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. Under a pirate fishing ban, ICCAT’s 28 members, including the United States, Japan, China and the European Union’s 15 member states, must close their markets to bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) caught by vessels registered to the five flag of convenience countries. The FAO is attempting to build upon ICCAT’s initiative by developing similar measures worldwide. But the devil is in the details. Brazil does not accept that countries must only allow charter arrangements with fishing vessels and companies that operate in compliance with international law. Mexico says restricting market access or denying port access to flag of convenience vessels infringes upon free trade. The European Union is reluctant to support any plan that calls on governments to penalize companies based in their country which own flag of convenience vessels. Greenpeace calls Brazil, Mexico and the European Union “pirate protectors.” “In blocking tough regulations, these countries are protecting pirate fishers at a
time when fishery experts tell us that about three quarters of the world’s fisheries
are already fully exploited, overexploited or depleted,” said Desley Mather of
Greenpeace. “The number of pirate fishing vessels is growing. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that unless this loophole in international law is closed, more and more fishing companies will buy these flags to dodge fishing rules at the expense of the marine environment.” “If governments will not tackle these lawless fleets, how can they expect to manage what is left?” When the FAO meeting wraps up today, the IPOA will be submitted to the 24th session of FAO’s Committee on Fisheries, which will meet next week. The Committee is the primary fisheries policy making forum within FAO. ----------------------------- ECOTERRA Intl.
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