Namibian shark poachers nailed
See several posts here on poaching. Came across this article.
Shark Poachers Nailed
Discovery News July 24th
This week, authorities in Mozambique seized and confiscated an unlicensed vessel from Namibia that was illegally fishing for sharks off the southeastern coast of Africa. Although we often hear about ocean poachers, what was found on the vessel makes it easy to understand why shark populations worldwide are nearly all threatened, with some on the brink of extinction.
The Namibian ship, called the Antillas Reefer, had this as its cargo:
43 tons of sharks
4 tons of shark fins
1.8 tons of shark tails
11.3 tons of shark liver
20 tons of shark oil
The value of the catch?
Five million dollars.
The Antillas Reefer almost got away with the crime. A Mozambique company, Sabcal Pescas, first brought the vessel into the region on the pretense of tuna fishing. The Fisheries Ministry there was supposed to issue it a license for this activity but, even before any gear was inspected, the Antillas Reefer went out hunting for sharks—with banned gear. If it weren't for some watchful legit Mozambican fishermen, who spotted the ship, it would still be out in the water hauling up more sharks.
The company that owned the illegal vessel was fined $4.5 million, in addition to the authorities seizing and confiscating the ship.
You can see the problem. One kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of shark anything is worth about $700. That is 70 times the value of the same amount of tuna. So long as there is high public demand for shark fin soup, shark meat, shark teeth souvenirs, shark skin and other shark products, the poaching will continue.
At least authorities seem to be stepping up their efforts. Conservation groups have also been following fishermen that practice shark finning. The below rare footage shows the carnage these ships often leave behind on the ocean floor.
Poaching is just one threat facing sharks now. As Shark Week gets underway at the Discovery Channel, please tune in here again to learn what you can do to help ensure that sharks have a future.
Illegal international fishing impoverishes Guinea's fishermen
Illegal international fishing impoverishes Guinea's fishermen
Source: IRIN
The livelihoods of fishermen in Guinea are increasingly threatened by the many industrial trawlers from Europe, China, Korea and Russia, which often operate illegally in Guinea's once-abundant waters.
"The exclusive zones that are reserved for local fishing should be recognised by the industrial boats and they should stay away from them because their presence is causing a lot of economic and social problems," Souba Camara, a government port official in Conakry told IRIN. He said it is illegal for industrial boats to fish in areas near the shore designated for local fisherman but the laws are largely ignored.
Enforcing the laws would not just benefit a few fishermen, Camara said. "A local fisherman may have 50 people depending on the earnings from his net." Almost none of the large industrial boats in Guinea's waters are owned by Guineans.
The government is also losing revenue for what is one of the world's poorest countries. More than US$100 million worth of fish are pirated out of Guinea's waters each year, according to a study by London-based Marine Resources Assessment Group.
But it is the local fishermen who are feeling the loss most. "If we could fix this situation so that the big boats stay in their assigned zones away from us [local fishermen] we would be able to do our work," fisherman Mamadou Camara said. "If not, we may not have fish left in our zone within a year."
Guinea's government has tried to ban the export of some species of fish to increase their availability in local markets. However, fishermen IRIN talked with said this just opened the door for more illegal international trade and diminished their earnings further. The government does not have the means to monitor its waters, Souba Camara, the port official, said.
In 2003 authorities attempted a project in which local fishermen used radios to report sightings of pirate ships and other illegal activity to various control posts along the coast, but the initiative lacked funding and in 2006 stopped functioning, the chairman of the Guinea association of local fishermen, Issiaga Daffe told IRIN. Daffe called for renewed monitoring efforts by the government and donors and micro-financing for fishermen.
The safety of fishermen is also a growing concern. The number of boating accidents has increased with the growth in illegal fishing, as many of the illegal boats operate at night without lights. "There have been cases of people being killed," Souba Camara, the official, said.
Despite the increased risks and decreased revenue the fishermen say they have no alternatives but to continue their work. "Fishing is all I know," said Souriba Camara, who owns a three-man wooden boat named "Have Confidence" and hails from a long line of fishermen. "Fishing is who I am," he said.
Malaysian navy detains Thai fisherman for illegal fishing
Asia World News
Posted : Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:39:04 GMT Author : DPA
Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian navy officers seized a Thai fishing boat and detained nine people on board for fishing illegally in waters off Malaysia's eastern Terengganu state, reports said Tuesday.
The vessel, believed to be from the southern Thai province of Songkhla, was seized by a navy patrol boat early Sunday said state capital maritime chief Syed Mohamad Fuzi Syed Hasan. "On seeing the navy vessel approaching, the Thai fishing boat tried to flee but failed," Syed Mohamad Fuzi was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency. He said patrol officers detained the skipper and eight crew members, adding that 300 kilograms of catch on board the fishing boat was also seized. Syed Mohamad Fuzi said the suspects, aged between 25 and 45 years, would be placed under remand and are likely to be charged for encroaching and fishing on illegal waters. If found guilty, the skipper faces a fine of 1 million ringgit (303,000 dollars) while each crew member could be fined 100,000 ringgit (31,300 dollars).
Fishermen caught poaching
Six Sri Lankan fishermen caught poaching in Indian waters were arrested Monday by the Coast Guard and remanded to judicial custody, official sources said.
Their mechanised boat was seized. The men were from Trincomalee in Sri Lanka's east.
"Preliminary interrogation reveals that they had no links to terrorist activity and were merely fishing in our waters," R. Sabaratnam, a police official who took the suspects to prison, told IANS.