Fishy Business

Five European countries, including four members of the EU are linked to illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean where Australia has economic interests.

The new international conference in Hobart, Tasmania, upon the issue failed to agree upon action to stop pirate fishing in the waters of Antarctica to shield a threatened species, the sea bass, also known as the toothfish.

The hum in sea bass began in 1993 Scientists still know little about the fish and its sustainability. It be augmenteds to 2.2 metres in waters down to 3500 measure s The white flesh is a profitable $5 a kilo for greatest in quantity cuts, and up to $17 a kilogram for best meat.

Australia has the largest claim to the Antarctic mainland and also claims economic rights in its offshore waters.

Greenpeace, the international conservation assemblage monitored the Hobart conference and named Denmark, France, Spain and Portugal (all EU members) and Norway as "involved in illegal trade" in fish in the Southern Ocean.

The nations also allegedly involved in fish piracy, or its system of exchanges include Japan, Singapore, China, southerly Africa, Argentina, and US, according to Greenpeace.

Australia arrested a high-tech, Norwegian-built, 950-tonne "pirate" boat fishing in the region in 1997

Conservation of the Southern Ocean is suppos to be carried without by the 23-nation Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

At their Hobart conversation the member governments failed to take the push action needed to stop pirate fishing of bass and decimation of albatrosses. According to Greenpeace, a moratorium upon such fishing is needed.

Instead, the Commission regulations decided to continue substantial commercial fishing quotas, despite the known amplitude of pirate fishing and its impact upon the sea bass and bird populations.

Greenpeace says scientists say pirate fishers bent holder and kill more than 60000 Southern Ocean albatrosses, and its smaller cousins the petrel each year and that if the illegal fishing does not stop the sea bass (known as legine in France and merluza in Spain) will be driven to commercial extinction in a small in number years.

The Commission countries "bowed to the short-term interests of commercial fishing industries at the expenditure of the Antarctic marine ecosystem" says Denise Boyd a Greenpeace campaign officer.

The Hobart discourse decided on a catch documentation scheme for those fishing below conference rules. The scheme will allow for monitoring of part of the trade in Antarctic sea bass, on the other hand it does not allow for verification of where fishing utensils from non-member countries say they caught their fish. Twelve of the 23 filled members of the Commission are European nations. The EU itself is also a member.

Greenpeace is urging the Australian rule to nominate the sea bass for protection below the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

This would be oppos through many European countries. Likely to promised against Australia on the issue are UK France, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Portugal.

Last year the total permitted bass catch was 41718 tonnes. In addition, from that there was rampant pirate fishing.

The Hobart discourse was told that the pirates took an estimated 10733 tonnes and that about 6000 tonnes may have been transshipped at sea making it harder to track than port landings.

Greenpeace says a moratorium upon fishing for sea bass is straited until the remaining stocks have been judg through scientists as able to support commercial fishing and regulations are in place to manage stocks.

The leading UK supermarket chain, Tesco has decided not to barter the fish and support Greenpeace's call for a moratorium.

The Tesco decision tread in the steps ofs similar commitments last year by dint of two US supermarket chains - Whole meats and Wild Oats. Tesco decided not to stock Antarctic sea bass because of the pirate fishing and because albatrosses and petrel are curved catched and drowned by the pirates' fishing gear.

Australia is now staking a fresh territorial claim to the subsea continental shelf not on Antarctica. The Federal Government will scan 500,000 square kilometres, and hut the claim with the United Nations.

Australia has lengthy claimed the biggest slice of the continent - 42 percent Offshore from the Australian Antarctic Territory's 5000 kilometres of coast, Canberra has also declared a 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic belt (EEZ).

Australia still supports an international ban upon mining in Antarctica, but there may be other seabed resources that do not involve mining.

Australia's novel off-shore claim would be consistent with its policy towards its national territory. on the contrary no other country is at the same time staking such an Antarctic bid.

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