Falklands : Fisheries Committee Meeting Report (09/06/06)
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 12.06.2006 (Article Archived on 26.06.2006)

Find out what happened during this important meeting.

FISHERIES COMMITTEE MEETING REPORT (09/06/06)

By J. Brock (FINN)

A meeting of the Fisheries Committee took place in the Liberation Room of the Secretariat at 0900hrs on Friday, 09 June 2006.  Present were Cllr Cockwell (Chair in place of Dr. Andrea Clausen), Cllr. Janet Robertson, Mrs. Melanie Chilton (Attorney General for David Lang QC) Mr. Drew Irvine, Mrs. Cheryl Roberts, Mr. Dick Sawle, Mr. Stuart Wallace, Mr. John Barton (Director of Fisheries) and Mrs. Greta Skene (Minutes).  Apologies for absence came from Cllr. Andrea Clausen, Mr. David Lang QC and Mr. Julian Morris.

In matters arising from the meeting held on Friday, 07 April 2006, a recommendation for an industry representative went to EXCO and was approved.  The industry will elect a representative.

Suggestions for 20^th Anniversary of the Fishery:

The 20^th anniversary of the FICZ could feature fishing ships in the harbour sometime in February and a gala dinner as well as a tour of fishing ships, etc.  The Captains could come ashore for drinks and there might be scope to wave harbour dues on the day.  Vessels could provide food and a church service was all suggested.  FIGAS could do over-flights for pictures and there could be public lectures.  Perhaps something could be done with Stamps and/or coins in conjunction with the 25^th anniversary celebrations.  Laying a foundation stone was also suggested.

Bio-economic Report:

It was decided that this item relating to the Loligo Fishery would best be discussed when the Chairman returned.

Proposed Moratorium on High Seas Bottom Trawling:

A ban on Bottom trawling would be difficult to police, as there is no regional management of the high seas.  A biodiversity report was needed and the Scientific Institute has been contacted to gage the affects of bottom trawling on the high seas and the benefits of having a ban in place.  They have information from the ‘70s and have been asked to produce a brief study. A number of countries, including Spain, Russia, South Korea, have not been convinced that this is a worthwhile exercise.  This had been supported by the Foreign Office and DFRA.  There was a need to point out that the UK and the Falklands were not the same fishery but completely different.  This could be put on the back burner for the time being but eventually something like this ban could happen.  It was not clear what the jurisdiction of the ban would be – first it was said that only seamounts would be affected – then the parameters changed to all deep sea areas.  Mike Richardson of DEFRA might visit and give a talk about the ban.  No one would be signing up to it until it was known who had jurisdiction.

Postponement of Entry of Illex Jig Fishing into ITQ System until 2008:

The industry made this request because more consultation would be needed.  Initially the entry would be in 2007.  The end date would then be in 2031 – 25 years from when the time it began.  Seeing that the past seasons had been volatile, time was needed for consideration and it is thought that a 2008 entry would give sufficient time.

Research Post for Toothfish:

It would be good if the research post for Toothfish Biology were funded commercially.  Information generated by this person could be the property of the industry and not in the public domain.  This was agreed in principle but the issue of ownership of the information was still debatable. 

Sustainability Measures for Winter Loligo and Toothfish:

Discussion on the draft sustainability measures for Winter Loligo and Toothfish dealt with seabird mitigation.  Articles in the UK press did not focus on the fact that it was the Namibian and other African fisheries that were responsible for seabird mortality of indigenous Albatross species in South Georgia and in the Falkland Islands.  There was an especially insensitive article in the London Times that Grant Munro had answered via a letter to the editor.  It is not known yet if that letter has been published.  It is thought that Ben Sullivan and those at Birdlife International wanted to focus on the problem of seabird mitigation and not necessarily who was causing the problem.  This item would be the subject of a publicity campaign.

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