Falklands : Executive Council: 25 August 2005
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 30.08.2005 (Article Archived on 13.09.2005)
Howard Pearce explains that first, Executive Council considered recommendations by the Fisheries Committee for the fees to be charged for various categories of fishing licence during the 2006 season.
GOVERNOR’S REPORT ON THE MEETING OF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ON THURSDAY 25 AUGUST 2005
Executive Council met on Thursday 25 August for its regular monthly meeting.
We had a number of fishing and maritime issues to address. First, Executive Council considered recommendations by the Fisheries Committee for the fees to be charged for various categories of fishing licence during the 2006 season. ExCo took decisions on all of the recommendations received from the Fisheries Committee with the exception of the fees for longline licences, which it returned to the Fisheries Committee for further consideration. The details of the new fees are being published.
Secondly, two decisions were taken with regard to the Elqui, the longliner which was recently arrested for illegal fishing in South Georgia waters. It was decided that, because of the circumstances leading to the berthing of the Elqui at FIPASS and the shared interest of FIG and the South Georgia Government in removing the vessel from further commercial use, harbour dues and berthing fees should be waived for the period of the lay-up. It was also decided that the South Georgia Government should be licensed to scuttle the fishing vessel in Falklands waters. The scuttling is likely to take place soon, following completion of the current clean-up work on the vessel.
Listeners and readers may like to be reassured that the clean-up process has been extremely thorough. It has involved the removal from the vessel of all hydraulic fluids, fuel, engine lubricating oils, paints, batteries, fishing and other associated gear, loose domestic equipment, refrigerant and welding gases, pyrotechnics and medical drugs. All of these items have been safely disposed of ashore in the Falkland Islands. The galley has been thoroughly cleaned to remove cooking oils, and all food and other waste has been removed and burnt. All liferafts and other loose materials have also been removed. Some objects of particular interest, including an old binnacle compass, have been offered to the Stanley Museum. The result is that when the vessel is scuttled it will not cause any adverse environmental impact or hazard to shipping. Both Falklands Conservation and the Marine Officer have been fully consulted and are content.
Still on maritime issues, ExCo had some more maritime fees to decide – this time freight rates for the coastal shipping service, about which there has apparently been some confusion. Full details of these rates are being published.
There are long-standing arrangements between FIG and the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) under which the MCA provides various survey and certification services for the Falkland Islands Shipping Register. A new Memorandum of Understanding has been agreed with the MCA. ExCo approved the terms of this MoU.
ExCo also approved the making of the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Amendment Regulations 2005. The purpose of this amendment to the regulations is to clarify the way in which the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 2001 and the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Regulations 2001 apply to fishing vessels which were registered under the pre-2001 arrangements. The effect of this is to make it clear that vessels already registered on the old Stanley Register are not obliged to meet the new and more stringent eligibility requirements of the Ordinance and Regulations in order to remain on the Register.
People may recall that at its July meeting ExCo amended the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Regulations 2000 in order to enable FIG to suspend the operation of the open door licensing system for offshore hydrocarbons exploration. At last week’s meeting ExCo decided to exercise these powers and to close open door licensing throughout the controlled waters of the Falkland Islands for an indefinite period. A notice will appear in the Gazette to that effect.
FIG has been invited by the UK Government to consider whether it wishes the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol of that Convention to be applied to the Falkland Islands. Following some thorough research by the previous and current Environmental Planning Officers, it appears that it should be relatively easy for FIG to collect the statistics required and to meet the obligations imposed by the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol. ExCo therefore agreed that the FCO should be informed that FIG wishes these arrangements to be applied to the Falkland Islands. This means that the Falkland Islands will be making its own small contribution to global efforts to tackle the problem of climate change.
The helicopter refuelling facility at Fox Bay has come to the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced. ExCo approved various arrangements requested by the Ministry of Defence in connection with the construction of the new facility, and to the provision of a temporary fuel store for use during the construction.
There has been considerable local interest in the proposals by Cable and Wireless to establish a mobile phone service in the Falkland Islands. In that connection the Planning and Building Committee had earlier in the week considered two applications from Cable and Wireless for the siting of mobile phone masts, and permission was sought from ExCo for the lease of Crown land on which to place these two masts. ExCo agreed to grant the request in principle, but noted that the Planning and Building Committee had decided to defer until its next meeting consideration of the proposal to site a mast to the north of St Mary’s Walk.
A couple of Committee issues next. ExCo agreed to the appointment of Mr Mike Evans as the new Rural Business Association representative on the Board of Falkland Landholdings. ExCo also agreed the proposals for the restructuring of the Apprenticeship Committee, including a new Committee membership and new terms of reference.
Falklands Conservation carry out regular censuses of the principal bird species in the Falkland Islands. Beauchene Island is a particularly important location for breeding colonies of black-browed albatross and rockhopper and gentoo penguins. Falklands Conservation have sought permission to visit Beauchene Island to undertake censuses of these species. ExCo gave their agreement to this.
Finally, the tricky issue of licensing the shooting of turkey vultures. ExCo had a full discussion of a report by the Director of Agriculture. Given the considerable local interest in this issue, I am recording the conclusions reached by ExCo in full, which were as follows:
The Governor’s power to issue licences to shoot protected birds should be delegated with respect to turkey vultures only to the Environmental Planning Officer (EPO).
In the absence of the EPO the delegated power should be exercised by the Director of Agriculture (DoA).
In exercising this delegated power the EPO/DoA should:
(i) seek advice in respect of each licence application from representatives of the Tourist Board, Falklands Conservation, Farmers and the Department of Agriculture;
(ii) limit any licence to the shooting of a maximum of twenty birds;
(iii) require every licensee to provide a full report detailing when, where and how many birds were shot;
(iv) ensure that the information submitted under (iii) above is passed to the Environmental Committee and Falklands Conservation.
The EPO should follow the procedures and criteria set out above in taking a decision on the licence applications received from Pebble Island and North Arm.
Applications for licences to shoot any other species of protected bird should be submitted to Executive Council. Executive Council’s decision on any such application should take account of the views of the EPO and the bodies referred to in paragraph 2.3 (i) above.
Falklands Conservation should be invited to conduct a programme of Island-wide turkey vulture censuses with a view to identifying the size and status of the turkey vulture population, together with a study of turkey vulture feeding behaviour.
|
