Environmental vandals: the Abbott Government never learns from its mistakes

Geelong Star (Credit: ABC) 

Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) media releases tell a sad tale of lessons not learnt by the Abbott Government.

MISTAKE NO. 1 – allowing the super trawler to operate in Australian waters

Geelong Star meets AFMA requirements on arrival into Australia

Last updated 1 April 2015

Today (1 April 2015) officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) met and inspected the Geelong Star, the mid-water trawl vessel nominated by Seafish Tasmania Pty Ltd in the Small Pelagic Fishery, upon its arrival into the port of Albany, Western Australia.

Officers from AFMA’s Bycatch and Compliance units conducted a detailed inspection of the vessel. AFMA Compliance officers confirmed that the Geelong Star has met AFMA’s strict conditions for fishing vessels entering Australia and that the GPS-based vessel tracking system is fully operational.

AFMA General Manger of Fisheries Operations, Mr Peter Venslovas said that the vessel passed all AFMA’s requirements for a new fishing vessel entering Australia waters.

“AFMA Compliance officers routinely conduct inspections of all fishing vessels in Commonwealth fisheries to ensure that they comply with AFMA’s strict management arrangements. Today’s inspection of the Geelong Star is just the first in what will become a regular event for this vessel when operating in the Small Pelagic Fishery” said Mr Venslovas.

Assessment by AFMA Bycatch officers confirmed the vessel’s ability to comply with AFMA’s requirements to minimise and monitor impacts on non-target species and the broader marine environment. Their inspection included a detailed assessment of the vessel’s Marine Mammal Excluder Device and the seabird bycatch mitigation devices required by AFMA.

An AFMA-approved Vessel Management Plan is required for all mid-water trawl vessels operating in the Small Pelagic Fishery and today’s inspection was a key step in AFMA’s process to finalise the necessary plan for the Geelong Star.

Vessel Management Plan conditions are in addition to, or re-inforce, AFMA’s standard operating and reporting obligations for all mid-water trawl vessels in the Small Pelagic Fishery. These detailed plans set out the individual vessel requirements to ensure fishing impacts on non-target marine wildlife and other fisheries (recreational and commercial) are minimised.

The Vessel Management Plan for the Geelong Star will be published on the AFMA website once it has been finalised. The Vessel Management Plan is subject to change by AFMA at any time in response to new information about the fishing operations or the marine environment.

MISTAKE NO. 2 – imagining that bycatch would not become a vexing issue

AFMA inspect the Geelong Star

Last updated 2 April 2015

On 1 April 2015, AFMA Compliance and Bycatch Officers inspected the Geelong Star, the mid-water trawl vessel recently nominated by Seafish Tasmania Pty Ltd in the Small Pelagic Fishery.

AFMA Compliance Officers confirmed the vessel met AFMA’s conditions for entry of fishing vessels to Australia and that AFMA’s tamper-proof, GPS-based vessel tracking system was correctly installed and fully operational.  The officers also collected detailed vessel information to assist them during future inspections to ensure compliance with AFMA’s catch limits and other management arrangements.

AFMA Bycatch Officers inspected the bycatch mitigation devices required by AFMA including the marine mammal excluder and seabird scaring devices installed on the Geelong Star’s mid-water trawl gear.  The officers also undertook an assessment of the vessel’s ability to comply with AFMA’s full suite of requirements to monitor and minimise impacts on non-target species and the broader marine environment and gave an educational presentation to the vessel’s skippers and crew advising them of the requirements.

Following AFMA’s initial inspection of the vessel, it will now work with the company, vessel crew and bycatch experts to finalise the Vessel Management Plan (VMP).  This plan will set out the detailed operational requirements that minimise the impact of fishing operations on non-target marine wildlife and other fisheries (recreational and commercial).  The conditions set out in the VMP are in addition to, or otherwise reinforce, AFMA’s standard operating and reporting conditions for all mid-water trawl vessels in the Small Pelagic Fishery.

All mid-water trawl vessels in the Small Pelagic Fishery must have an AFMA-approved VMP before commencing fishing operations.  Once finalised, AFMA will publish the VMP on our website.  Please note that the VMP is subject to change by AFMA at any time (even within a fishing trip) in response to new information about the fishing operations and/or the marine environment.

For more information read the FAQs for the Small Pelagic Fishery on the Small Pelagic Fishery page.

MISTAKE NO. 3 – Expecting a management plan to be effective re large marine animal bycatch for a factory ship expecting to catch up to 230 tonne a day in its small-fish nets with a 16,500 tonne quota limit

Geelong Star Vessel Management Plan

Last updated 22 April 2015

All mid-water trawl vessels in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery must have a vessel management plan approved by AFMA before they start fishing.  This is a legal requirement.

A vessel management plan is a comprehensive boat-specific plan to minimise the risk of interactions with protected species (e.g. seabirds, seals and dolphins). Vessel management plans contain both recommendations and mandatory measures that must be employed by the boat to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to minimise its impact on protected species.

Vessel management plans can be updated to ensure they take into account on-the-water experience and the latest developments in techniques to reduce interactions with protected species.

The Geelong Star Vessel Management Plan was updated on 22 April 2015. View the updated Geelong Star Vessel Management Plan.

MISTAKE NO. 5 – not posting an Australian Fisheries Management Authority media release on its website alerting the Australian public to the fact that during its first fishing voyage the Seafish Tasmania and Parlevliet & Van der Plas Beheer B.V. killed four protected dolphins and two protected seals in Geelong Star’s nets

ABC NEWS 28 April 2015: Tasmanian Government refuses to publicly denounce operation of factory trawler Geelong Star

                                                                                                                                         

MISTAKE NO. 6 – not admitting that allowing this super trawler to continue to operate is a political and environmental error

Geelong Star – operational update

Last updated 2 May 2015

Statement 2 May 2015

AFMA has been advised of four further dolphin mortalities from fishing by the Geelong Star, the vessel nominated by Seafish Tasmania Ltd to fish in the Small Pelagic Fishery. The mortalities occurred in one shot during the vessel’s second trip. AFMA has also been advised of two fur seal mortalities during the vessel’s second trip.

Consistent with the requirements of all vessels fishing in Commonwealth waters, the Geelong Star must report any interaction with protected species, including marine mammals like dolphins, fur seals or Australian sea lions.

AFMA takes any marine mammal mortalities seriously. We are disappointed that these additional dolphin and seal mortalities have occurred.

AFMA understands the Geelong Star is voluntarily returning to port because of the dolphin mortalities for a full review of its marine mammal exclusion equipment. AFMA will participate in the review to determine how to minimise further marine mammal interactions. The vessel will also be inspected by AFMA officers when it arrives in port to ensure all catch documentation is in order.

MISTAKE NO. 7 – a weak response from the Federal Minister for the Environment and Liberal Member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, who did not post a ministerial media release on the subject and only made a statement on 3 May 2015 to journalists saying that he would write a letter or two

ABC News 3 May 2014 Greg Hunt condemns factory trawler Geelong Star's dolphin deaths as 'unacceptable and outrageous'

Abbott Government's mindless obeisance to foreign-owned multinational commercial fishing corporations has had the inevitable result

The 100% Dutch-owned subsidiary of Parlevliet & Van der Plas Beheer B.V. the Australian registered Seafish Tasmania and its super trawler hired from the parent company, the now rebranded Geelong Star, have been found to have committed the inevitable environmental crime associated with large factory ships – killing prohibited species as part of their by-catch.

The Abbott Government would have been well aware that classifying commercial fishing trawlers on length of vessel and not freezer storage capacity would lead to adverse environmental impacts but, in its mindless rejection of any measure put in place by the former federal Labor government, Tony Abbott & Co have shown that far-right ideology is more important that preserving sustainable food resources and biodiversity of marine life for the benefit of present and future Australian citizens.

The Guardian, 3 May 2015:

The Australian environment minister, Greg Hunt, has condemned as “unacceptable and outrageous” the killing of a dozen dolphins and seals by a factory fishing trawler.

The Geelong Star, a ship that environmental groups and some MPs wanted banned from fishing Australian waters, voluntarily returned to its home port after catching four dolphins and two seals on its second local outing.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) had previously said the ship would face stricter controls after it also caught and killed four dolphins and two seals in its nets on its first trip.

Hunt released a statement on Sunday saying he was “absolutely appalled” by the news, ABC reported.

Hunt said he would write to the AFMA and to Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck, the parliamentary secretary for fisheries and a strong defender of the trawler’s methods.

The Geelong Star has factory freezer capabilities but escapes a permanent ban on so-called super trawlers because at 95 metres it is under the 130-metre size limit.

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the government should cancel the trawler’s fishing licence and management plan immediately.

“They’ve failed twice. The regulator has failed in its job to protect dolphins and seals and who knows whatever other marine life and the boat needs to go home,” he told ABC.

Colbeck released his own statement saying the further deaths of marine mammals was “very bad news and is not welcomed by anyone”.

He said the decision of operators Seafish Tasmania to “voluntarily return to port is appreciated”….

Abbott Government has given permission for Dutch-owned Seafish Tasmania and Parlevliet En Van Der Plas Beheer B.V. to bring a super trawler into Australian waters

FV Dirk Dirk now known as the Geelong Star

Photo: www.maritimetraffic.com

The FV Dirk Dirk owned by Parlevliet & Van der Plas Beheer B.V. based in The Netherlands, now rebranded the Geelong Star, is currently in or near the port of Albany in West Australia.

This refrigerated trawler has a gross tonnage of 3,181 and is 95.18 metres long, 14.50 metres wide, with a service speed of 14,000 knots.

It has freezing and holding capacities of 230,000 kg fish/day (230 tonne) and 91,000 cartons respectively.

The newly re-named Geelong Star comes from the same fishing fleet as the notorious FV Margiris which Seafish Tasmania and Parlevliet En Van Der Plas temporarily rebranded the Abel Tasman during its unsuccessful 2012 to 2014 attempt to fish these waters.

The Geelong Star is reportedly expected to take up to 16,500 tonne of fish during its initial trawl this year – only 2,000 tonne less than the larger super trawler Margiris was hoping to take in 2012. 

The Geelong Star’s maximum quota is an est. 47 per cent of the 2014-15 total allowable catch.

The Abbott Government intends to allow this ship to fish the Australian Small Pelagic Fishery which extends from the Queensland/New South Wales border, typically outside 3 nautical miles, around southern Australia to a line at latitude 31° south (near Lancelin, north of Perth).

In what appears to be a deliberate attempt to politically deceive, the government issued a media release on 12 February 2015 which ignored the antecedents of Seafish Tasmania.

Calling this company “Australian” when in fact it is a company merely registered in Australia but wholly-owned by Silver Pit B.V. a subsidiary of Parlevliet & Van der Plas which also has branches in the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Lithuania.

The media release also ignores the fact that it is highly likely that the entire catch will be exported, so that there will be little benefit from the vessel's fish catch flowing to Australia either economically or as available food stock.

As for the potential for adverse environmental impacts – I doubt whether the Minister for Agriculture and Nationals MP for New England, Barnaby Joyce, has given more than a passing thought to this issue.

He did not release the REPORT OF THE EXPERT PANEL ON A DECLARED COMMERCIAL FISHING ACTIVITY: FINAL (SMALL PELAGIC FISHERY) DECLARATION 2012 until October 2014 and then with little fanfare.

Unfortunately this report cannot rule out localised depletion of fish stocks given the number of variables in play when a large refrigerated trawler is operating within a fishery.

In 2012 the then Labor Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, stood up for the North Coast region and successfully lobbied to keep the Margiris out of Australian waters.

Based on his record to date, it would be foolish of anyone to expect the current Nationals MP for Page, Kevin Hogan, to stir himself.

Fishing fleets based on the NSW North Coast from the Clarence to the NSW-QLD border have been working towards achieving sustainable fishing practices and they bring millions of dollars annually to the regional economy, so it is disappointing to see the Abbott Government allowing a foreign-owned company to trawl in the NSW fishing zone when it has a history of breaching conditions* imposed by host countries.

* Dutch pelagic group Parlevliet & van der Plas (P&P) fined €105,000 in an Irish Court in 2014.
* In 2012 Parlevliet & Van Der Plasfined fined €595,000 in Cherbourg after the Maartje Theadora was stopped with €1.2million of illegally-caught fish in freezers.

* Parlevliet & Van der Plas FV Jan Maria alleged to have dumped almost 1.6 thousand tonnes herring at sea to make room for fish with a higher market value (highgrading) in 2012-2013.

UPDATE

This was a Seafish Tasmania spokesperson in The Advocate on 3 April 2014:

Mr Geen said he expected his Dutch partners Parlevliet & Van der Plas BV involved in the proposed super trawler,  earmarked to operate out of Devonport and create about 45 jobs while fishing the Great Australian Bight,  would still be keen to pursue the venture pending a successful outcome on the court and expert review hurdles.

"The only thing that's clear is we would like the opportunity to catch our quota,'' Mr Geen said.

"We need to talk to our Dutch partners.

"We have not called them for a long time but as far as I'm aware they are still interested.

Note how carefully crafted is this misleading impression that Seafish Tasmania is an independent company in partnership with the Parlevliet & Van der Plas and not owned by this Dutch company.

NSW Government currently canvassing support for commercial netting of Pine, Bonville, Boambee and Newports estuary creeks

Boambee Creek mouth at Cchange Adventure

NSW Baird Coalition Government’s proposed Reform Program For NSW Commercial Fishing:

Estuary General Fishery

Number of meshing nets 

 If managing the meshing share classes by the number of meshing and flathead nets, a meshing endorsement holder would be able to use one meshing net (or flathead net where relevant) up to a maximum length of 725 metres for every 125 meshing shares. A shareholding of 250 shares would allow the endorsement holder to use two meshing nets (or flathead nets where relevant) with a maximum length of 725 metres for each net. 

Length of meshing nets 

 If managing the meshing share classes by the maximum meshing and flathead net length, a meshing endorsement holder would be able to use up to a maximum of 725 metres of meshing net (or flathead net where relevant) for every 125 meshing shares. A shareholding of 250 shares would entitle the endorsement holder to use up to a maximum of 1,450 metres of meshing net (or flathead net where relevant). Alternatively, one share could equate to 5.8 metres of meshing net. A share holding of 125 shares would entitle the endorsement holder to use up to a maximum of 725 metres of meshing net (or flathead net where relevant). A shareholding of 150 shares would entitle the endorsement holder to use up to a maximum of 870 metres of meshing net (or flathead net where relevant), and so on.

All submission forms are due back by 8am Monday 19th May 2014 and forms for those who are not commercial fishers can be download here.

The Coffs Coast Advocate 8 May 2014:

A proposal to net large swathes of local creeks is ringing alarm bells among local users of the estuaries.

Sawtell resident and avid canoeist Rod Edwards said the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is currently canvassing support for the commercial netting of the Pine, Bonville, Boambee and Newports creeks.

He said the proposals in relation to the Pine and Bonville Creeks would be for netting to be allowed within the boundaries of the Bongil Bongil National Park for all species of fish as well as prawns.

Rod said the use of massive nets would be permitted, with the use of a method known as splashing allowed between sunset and sunrise from June to August.

"The proposal is to allow nets of a staggering 400m in length to be used," Rod said.

"This will decimate fish stocks and the amenity of recreational fishers.

"More importantly, it is within the National Park entirely for Pine Creek and east of the Highway for Bonville Creek. Native bird populations within the National Park which feed and are protected under current legislation will be directly affected if this proposal is allowed to be approved."….

Coffs Harbour City Council:

The Boambee/Newports Estuary has a roughly rectangular shape catchment area of approximately 49 km². It extends about 8 km from the coast with a coastal floodplain of approximately 3 km wide. It consists of three main tributaries: the largest being Newports Creek in the north; Boambee Creek is next largest and drains the middle portion of the catchment; and Cordwells Creek the smaller of the catchments drains the south. The Boambee/Newports Estuary is permanently open to the ocean and has no artificial entrance training works, as it is naturally trained by Boambee Headland on the southern side.

Only an estimated 10 per cent of all marine life caught ends up on dinner plates

Click on chart to enlarge

Ensia.com:

April 2, 2014 — What percentage of all the marine life caught by industrial fishing operations ends up on our plate? Ninety percent? Seventy-five? Fifty? Not even close. Try just 10 percent. The rest is simply discarded as bycatch — the unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing operations. And we’re not just talking fish. The “other marine creatures” includes everything from whales and porpoises to turtles and albatrosses.

Looking back at a time when the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association sometimes told the unvarnished truth

A time when the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) was honest with the people of New South Wales:

3 August 2011

Coal seam damage to water inevitable

Ben Cubby

THE coal seam gas industry has conceded that extraction will inevitably contaminate aquifers.

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association told a fiery public meeting in Sydney that good management could minimise the risks of water contamination, but never eliminate them.

"Drilling will, to varying degrees, impact on adjoining aquifers," said the spokesman, Ross Dunn. "The extent of impact and whether the impact can be managed is the question."

The admissions came before the start of the first public hearing in NSW, held in Narrabri, of a Senate inquiry into the effects of coal seam gas mining.

The hearing was told that many farmers in northern and western NSW were angry about proposals to extract coal seam gas from their land, and some planned to join a mass campaign to lock their gates in the face of resources companies...

"The intent of saying that is to make it clear that we have never shied away from the fact that there will be impacts on aquifers," Mr Dunn said.

"I'm wanting to ensure that we are not seen as saying there won't be any impacts during the process. It is a matter of monitoring and managing those impacts."...

Of course, immediately after the publication of this article APPEA denied the published quotes of its spokesperson.

However, on 7 March 2014 The Sydney Morning Herald published an article which supported APPEA's original statements:

A coal seam gas project operated by energy company Santos in north-western NSW has contaminated a nearby aquifer, with uranium at levels 20 times higher than safe drinking water guidelines, an official investigation has found.

It is the first confirmation of aquifer contamination associated with coal seam gas activity in Australia - a blow to an industry pushing state and federal governments for permission to expand.

Santos was fined $1500 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority, which posted a media release on its website on February 18, without identifying the nature of the contamination.

Two days later, Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner signed a memorandum of understanding with Santos to speed up the project, in the Pilliga forest near Narrabri, guaranteeing a decision on its future by January 23 next year.

The EPA says it launched an investigation after routine testing in March last year by Santos of groundwater around the project - which remains in the test well stage - detected ''elevated levels of total dissolved solids and slightly elevated levels of other elements''.

The investigation concluded there was no evidence contractors engaged by the previous owner of the project, Eastern Star Gas, followed strict rules when building a pond to hold waste water and brine produced when gas is extracted. The investigation concluded the pond liner was of ''poor quality, which resulted in the integrity of the liner being questionable''.

On Friday, EPA chief environmental regulator Mark Gifford confirmed the contamination was caused by water leaking from the pond and that lead, aluminium, arsenic, barium, boron, nickel and uranium had been detected in an aquifer at levels ''elevated when compared to livestock, irrigation and health guidelines''.

Mr Gifford said the metals are ''not additives'' and occur naturally in the surrounding soil and water.

''However, the leaking pond has mobilised the elements and moved them into the aquifer, increasing their concentrations,'' he said...

Read more at : http://www.smh.com.au/environment/santos-coal-seam-gas-project-contaminates-aquifer-20140307-34csb.html

Note: My red bolding

Something for NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell to remember while making plans to permanently open marine reserves to fishers

Not every recreational fisher is a saint. More than a few are like this..............

Clarence Valley Review 29 January 2014:

Illegally caught Blue Groper that were discovered by fisheries officers, and resulted in a conviction in Maclean Local Court. Pic: courtesy Department of Primary Industries.

Spearing NSW’s official state fish has resulted in fines and professional costs of $3,660 plus additional court costs, after a man was convicted in Maclean Local Court this month for killing six Blue Groper.
Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Director of Fisheries Compliance, Glenn Tritton, said the Blue Groper was made the official state fish emblem of NSW in 1998.
“It is extremely disappointing to see this type of blatant disregard for the rules especially when Blue Groper have been protected from spear fishing for nearly 45 years,” Mr Tritton said....

Anyone witnessing any illegal fishing activity is urged to contact their local fisheries office immediately or to call Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536.

BACKGROUND

The Sydney Morning Herald 14 January 2014:

More than 200 marine scientists have called on the O'Farrell government to reinstate a ban on recreational fishing in coastal waters with high conservation values.

Last March the government introduced what it said was a temporary lifting of restrictions on shore-based line fishing at beaches and headlands in six marine parks with no-take sanctuaries pending an assessment of the impact.

The scientists, worried that the government may be about to make the "amnesty" permanent, issued a joint-statement calling for the reinstatement of protected zones "in keeping with well-established and proven scientific practice".

NSW has six multiple-use marine parks, including Cape Byron, Solitary Islands, Port Stephens-Great Lakes, Jervis Bay, Batemans Bay and Lord Howe Island. They account for about 7 per cent of NSW's state waters, and extend 3 nautical miles (5.5 kilometres) from shore.

"These are the exact habitats probably being affected the most by recreational fishing," said Will Figueira, a marine ecologist at the University of Sydney, and one of the scientists leading the petition.

Dr Figueira said the public often underestimated the impact of on-shore fishing

"Removing animals is not natural," he said. "When you sum it up, it's a quite large number of animals that are being removed."

The March decision was controversial because it appeared to be linked to winning support from the Shooters and Fishers Party for unrelated bills on public sector wages. Scientists say the decision for a temporary lifting of the ban was also unaccompanied by efforts to establish a baseline to study the impact on eco-systems.......

Dutch super trawler finally leaving Australian waters

 

 

In the space of twenty-one days Seafish Tasmania and Parlevliet En Van Der Plas Beheer B.V blinked........

THEN

AAP 13 February 2013

 

The operators of banned super-trawler Abel Tasman have begun legal action against the government.

Super-trawler operator Seafish Tasmania has begun court action to sue the federal government and two ministers over the ban on the controversial fishing behemoth Abel Tasman.

Seafish managing director Joe Pirrello says documents have been sent to the Federal Court instigating action against the government, Environment Minister Tony Burke and Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig.

Mr Burke used new powers to ban the 142-metre vessel last year after a public backlash and on Tuesday announced he would knock back a plan for it to be used as a "mother ship".

Under the proposal, smaller boats would fish for Seafish's 18,000-tonne quota of jack mackerel and redbait, with the Abel Tasman to be used as a giant offshore freezer.

The ship, formerly known as the Margiris, has been berthed at Port Lincoln in South Australia since its arrival from The Netherlands in August, costing Seafish more than $10,000 a day.

"About eight days ago we presented the Federal Court (in) Queensland with documents to sue the federal government, Tony Burke and Joe Ludwig in order to overturn his original declaration," Mr Pirrello told AAP.

In a statement, the company added: "The Australian government, through AFMA (the Australian Fisheries Management Authority), encouraged Seafish Tasmania to spend millions of dollars to bring the Abel Tasman to Australia.

"Now the Australian government wants us to go away. We won't be going away."

NOW
 

FV Able Tasman from Google Images

  

The Hon. Tony Burke MP

Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

 

Wednesday, 6 March 2013
 

Statement from Tony Burke on the Super Trawler

 

Seafish Tasmania today put out a statement saying the Abel Tasman is leaving Australian waters.

The Gillard Government last year acted to stop the Super Trawler – formally named the FV Margiris - from fishing in Australian waters until the sufficient scientific checks have been completed.

At the core of this issue was one principle - there was significant uncertainty about the environmental impacts of this new form of fishing.

When faced with this sort of uncertainty you can either be cautious and wait for the scientific work to be done or roll the dice and run the risks.

Australia chose to be cautious when it came to protecting the ocean. It was the right thing to do.

The Gillard Government makes no apology for not taking risks when it comes to protecting our precious oceans.

 

Background here.

A snapshot of Luke Hartsuyker earning his taxpayer funded salary

In the House of Representatives debate on super trawlers being allowed to fish in Australian waters, what was the esteemed Nationals Member for Cowper’s contribution over the course of three days?

Why, this sarcastic interjection on 12 September 2012:

Mr Hartsuyker:  You can count on Sid!

Given that Brisbane is identified by RV Able Tasman's owner-operator as this super trawler's home port and, the NSW North Coast was part of its prospective fishing range, Hartsuyker can hardly say that he was looking after his electorate's interests.

The Australian Commonwealth Ombudman's opinion on the matter of the AFMA-Seafish Tasmania alleged conflict of interest concerning allocated fishing quotas

Letter from Commonwealth Ombudsman to Andrew Wilkie MP concerning the matter of Seafish Tasmania's fish quo...

So the Kingdom of the Netherlands objects to how the Commonwealth of Australia protects its sovereignty ...

..as well as its environmental, social, cultural and economic interests within its own marine territorial waters and economic zones? Tough.

The media reports that the Dutch Government has raised concerns about Australia’s proposed new legislation strengthening the precautionary principle in relation to fishing activities of super trawlers, in light of the planned fish take of Parleviet & Van der Plas B.V. and its freezer trawler RV Able Tasman.

I also read that the Canberra-based Dutch Deputy Head of Mission, Nico Schermers, has expressed these concerns at a recent meeting of senior diplomats at the delegation of the European Union to Australia.

It would be interesting to know just how he couched his complaints at this meeting, when sudden changes in the structure and function of marine ecosystems and fish stock collapse due to overfishing are a feature of certain marine areas where Parleviet & Van der Plas (among others) has traditionally fished since the 1960s and, the European Union is well aware of this problem as seen by the first link below.

European Parliament, Directorate-General for Internal Policies, POLICY DEPARTMENT B, STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES: Fisheries, November 2011:

Overfishing has been shown to seriously affect the ecosystems of the world oceans. In addition to direct fishing effects on target stocks, ecosystem effects are increasingly reported as a result of unsustainable exploitation levels. There is now compelling evidence that fishing-induced changes at the top of the food web can have profound indirect effects on all trophic levels and hence change the structure and functioning of the whole food web. Such trophic cascades involve a top-down (i.e. consumer) control view on ecosystem functioning, which opposes the traditional bottom-up (resource) control view that existed

for marine ecosystems……

prominent examples of ecosystem regime shifts in the North Pacific and

the Eastern Scotian Shelf off the East coast of Canada, as well as the North Sea, the Baltic and the Black Sea...

The world is also aware of the dangers of regional overfishing.

The Spatial Expansion and Ecological Footprint of Fisheries (1950 to Present), December 2010 :

In the late 1980s, global catches ceased to increase and peaked at 90 million t when account is taken of systematic over reporting of catches by China [9]. The slow decrease of about half million t per year which then ensued has not been reversed since [7], and is not likely to ever be [10].

This decrease occurred, essentially, because the rate at which new fish stocks (for example of deep sea fish; [11]) were accessed, from the late 1980s on, failed to compensate for the rate at which ‘traditional’ stocks were depleted. Moreover, the number of new stocks has been decreasing linearly over time [12].

European Parliament, Committee on Fisheries Meeting 6 September 2012  - video in which Northern Hemisphere fisheries management and overfishing is discussed.

UPDATE:

September 15 2012

OMBUDSMAN BUSTS AFMA - WILKIE COMPLAINT UPHELD

The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, has been advised by the Commonwealth Ombudsman that AFMA did in fact fail to comply with the Fisheries Administration Act when it set the quota relevant to the super trawler.

Over the last two months Mr Wilkie has lodged a number of complaints with the Ombudsman regarding AFMA’s conduct when setting the quota. She agreed to investigate and this became central to Environment Minister Tony Burke’s condemnation of AFMA and Independent Rob Oakeshott’s decision to support banning the vessel.

“This is a dramatic development and a thumping win for proper process and the rule of law,” Mr Wilkie said.

“No less than the Commonwealth Ombudsman has agreed AFMA has acted unlawfully, and this should rule a line under the whole sorry super trawler saga and compel the Senate to kill the project forever next Monday.

‘‘Moreover the Ombudsman has informed me she is investigating ‘other matters’ which adds to the case that AFMA is in serious need of reform, that the Government’s decision to stop the boat is entirely warranted and that the House of Representative’s passing of legislation was the right thing to do. It’s up to the Senate now to finish the job.

“Super trawlers stink, but even worse is government agencies thinking they’re above the law. Hopefully this will lead to changes which might give us much more confidence in future that our environment as well as recreational and sensible commercial fishing is protected.’‘

Recreational fishers praised by Saffin and Ludwig

Janelle sees a strong future for recreational fishing

FEDERAL Member for Page Janelle Saffin has welcomed the Australian Government’s comment of their continued commitment to work with the recreational fishing sector to ensure its sustainability and economic benefits into the future.

Ms Saffin said the National Recreational Fishing Conference on the Gold Coast at the weekend underlined the important role played by recreational fishing in strengthening the local economy, particularly in towns like Ballina, Evans Head, Iluka and Yamba.

“Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig opened the conference and applauded rec fishers from across Australia who came to discuss issues such as keeping our fishing culture strong and protecting our marine environment,” she said.

“Minister Ludwig told delegates that the Australian Government’s network of marine reserves will have little or no impact on recreational fishing.

“His message was clear; these new reserves will not stop rec fishers from doing what they love doing -- fishing.

“These reserves are about protecting the sustainability and health of our oceans so that rec fishers and their families can continue to enjoy them for generations.”

Ms Saffin welcomed Minister Ludwig’s announcement that 10 recreational fishing projects had received a total of $1.74 million in Federal funding to support the National Recreational Fishing Industry Development Strategy.

“These projects will aim to support the sustainability of the sector by providing national education, identifying climate change issues and solutions, and monitoring fish stock,” she said.

Ms Saffin also praised the work of former Page MP, The Honourable Harry Woods, who chairs the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.

The FRDC has just released its latest report which shows that three eastern Australian game-fishing regions contributed more than $28 million to their local communities.

For more information visit the DAFF website www.daff.gov.au/fisheries/recreational

Monday, August 20, 2012