http://www.icsf.net/ International Collective in Support of Fishworkers 2010-03-14T20:47:38+00:47 http://gozonews.com/12566/e11-million-package-of-measures-for-the-fisheries-sector/ On Saturday, Malta's Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs George Pullicino, launched the first package of measures by the European Fisheries Fund which total €11 million. These measures will account for financial assistance of over €1.5 million. The aid will be available to the fisherman of Gozo and Malta. On Monday fishermen will be able to get the applications to benefit from these schemes from their cooperatives. The scheme will help those who wish to retire and scrap their boats, as well as those who wish to improve and modernise their vessels. Other benefits from the scheme will be improved safety and security on boar, improving the quality of the product, improving the selectivity of fishing and fishing methods and improvements in energy efficiency amongst others. Minister Pullicino stressed that these schemes that have been announced are the results of consultations undertaken with the two fisheries cooperatives.. He thanked both cooperatives for their commitment to jointly achieve the best for all fishermen. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7060361.ece It is a boom that has turned to bust, threatening the livelihood of Falkland islanders and making the prospect of oil in nearby waters even more significant. Rights to fish the island waters, which accounted for about half the Falklands economy, have been rendered almost worthless after a catastrophic decline in stocks. The near-extinction of a key commercial species around the Falklands is being blamed on overfishing in neighbouring waters by trawlers from Argentina, which claims sovereignty over the islands. The prospect of losing a source of revenue that has helped to lift average annual income for the 2,000 islanders to almost £32,000 per head adds to the significance of oil exploration under way off the Falklands — a development that has led to Argentina renewing its sovereignty claims. Britain and Argentina fought over the islands in 1982 and more than 900 died in the conflict. Selling licences to foreign trawlers to permit them to catch illex squid has brought the Falkland Islands’ revenue up to £16 million a year, but recent catches have plummeted. Where once it was possible to catch 200,000 tonnes of squid in Falklands waters, in 2009 only 45 tonnes were found. Argentina used to co-operate to ensure ample stocks in the region but in 2005 the Government of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner began allowing its fishermen huge catches. “The Argentine fishery has had a large impact on illex squid,” John Barton, director of the Falkland’s fisheries department, told The Times. Such a huge decline is likely to also be the result of fluctuating oceanographic conditions, but a lack of co-operation is all the more dangerous when stocks are down, he said. Other species are also being affected. Before Argentina left the South Atlantic Fishing Commission it was agreed that no more than 50,000 tonnes of southern blue whiting — worth about £650 a tonne — should be caught in the region. While the Falklands restricted its catch to 25,000 tonnes, last year Argentina hauled in 60,000 tonnes. As a result scientists in the Falklands say that only 6,000 tonnes can be landed this year. Actual confrontation between the fleets has so far been rare, but in 2006 the Argentine coast guard captured a Falklands-flagged vessel, charging it with illegally fishing inside Argentine waters. According to the captain’s GPS — based on charts issued by the UK hydrographic office — he was half a mile outside them. But Argentina has its own view of the limit of its waters. In the end, the owners of the vessel were forced to pay $400,000 to release the vessel. The Argentine Government went on to ban any ship in possession of a Falkland fishing licence from its waters. http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201003/2845222.htm?desktop A Chinese fishing vessel with seven fishermen aboard has been hijacked off the coast of Cameroon. The Chinese embassy in Cameroon says it's working with local authorities on ways of seeking their release. The official says a group calling itself the "Africa Marine Commando" has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Maritime analysts say West African pirates pose an increasing risk in a region with weak surveillance and a growing number of oil finds. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=482366 Malaysia holds regular talks with the governments of Indonesia and Thailand to tackle threats against Malaysian fishermen in the Melaka Strait, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said cooperation with Malaysia's neighbours was constantly being re-evaluated to ensure the safety of the Melaka Strait and also the seas off Sabah and Sarawak. "The discussions are to ensure fishermen from Malaysia and our neigbours are able to earn a livelihood without any fears," he told reporters after holding a dialogue with fishermen from the Bagan Datoh constituency, Saturday. Ahmad Zahid is also the Member of Parliament for Bagan Datoh. Also present were Royal Malaysian Navy chief Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar, Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Junaidi Ayub and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency director Maritime Admiral Ahmad Puzi Abdul Kahar. http://www.yobserver.com/business-and-economy/10018322.html The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said that it is to soon to begin implantation of the economic opportunities program or the activation of the fish resources management program, a project worth over $70 million USD. In a statement to the state-run 26Sep.net, IFAD representative in Yemen Fathia Bahran announced that the economic opportunities program would be undertaken next June. The program, which targets eight governorates, will costs $40 million USD, and will be financing by the IFAD, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the European Union, Bahran said. The project aims to improve coffee production within Yemen, enlarging the cultivation areas and creating new marketing mechanisms to export coffee to foreign markets, thus improving the general national income and increasing economic revenues. Fathia Bahran also emphasized that the IFAD is currently still producing the general design for the fish project. The preliminary outlines of the project propose that it will be concentrated on supporting the fish recourses management. This undertaking is worth $30 million USD, and will be financed by the IFAD and other donors. http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=15&id=35851&l=e&special=&ndb=1%20target= The passage of the Joint Commission's proposal over the bill that modifies the General Fisheries and Aquaculture Law (LGPA) by part of Chilean congressmen and senators generated satisfaction among trade union leaders and executives of the salmon farming sector. According to the executive secretary of the Salmon Table, Felipe Sandoval, the passage of the modifications is good news and a “very good sign that is going to allow the start of the reactivation of the industry. In addition to being the last bill by [ex-] president [Michelle] Bachelet, which highlights her concern over aquaculture.” The official maintains that it is a landmark for the salmon farming industry, because it experienced significant development over 20 years and its crisis allowed the sector "to be overhauled" and well prepared for this new stage. "I hope that we have some 20 years as successful as the previous ones. We must learn from the mistakes that were committed so that things can improve from now on," said Sandoval in an interview with Aqua. Referring to the main challenges of the sector, he indicated: “I believe that the industry has two challenges, one is to be able to operate in neighbourhoods, in a more community-based way and not as individuals, as has been [the case] until now. Second, is the relationship with the community and that is one of the things learned from these 20 years. It’s often difficult to invest in this relationship, but it is necessary to exert effort because part of the industry's success has to do with the good acceptance of the community it finds itself in.” Meanwhile, the president of the Chilean Salmon Industry Association AG (SalmonChile), Cesar Barros, praised the passage of the report of the Joint Commission. "Although new salmon farming has already become operational, this will give legal sustenance to banks and investors, which will have less uncertainty and will be able to trust our sector,” the trade union leader indicated. “Sadly, the time forced it to be processed in a period of electoral tension and its technical nature was subjected to political priorities, a situation that did not contribute to the recovery of a sector that generated a significant number of jobs in the region. In spite of it, the union had sufficient will to apply a series of sanitary measures, prior to the final approval of the law,” he added. In other news, the director-general of Marine Harvest Chile, Alvaro Jimenez, expressed his satisfaction as “this law gives power to the authority so that it applies a regulatory framework that assures a new, much more sustainable salmon farming.” Whereas the president of the board of Companies AquaChile, Victor Hugo Puchi, said he had “a lot of confidence that this law, so vital for the region, the country and for reclaiming the level of jobs and trust, was going to be passed.” "I see the future with far more optimism, because I am convinced that the industry is competitive. I feel that we have learnt from our errors, that we must be more prudent, that nature places limits, and that we must respect marine spaces,” Puchi added. "Now it is necessary to do things well," stressed the advisor of the Association of Banks and Financial Institutions, Jorge Claro. "The important thing is they ensure that the work that the companies are going to do is within the good practises generally accepted by the industry, and I believe that with time they are going to be demonstrating that yes they fulfil them,” he said. “One thing is that the law allows things to be done well and another is that companies demonstrate they do them well.” However, the president of the National Confederation of Chilean Artisanal Fishermen (CONAPACH), Zoila Bustamante, reiterated her criticism of the passing of the new aquaculture norm. "The salmon farming law was mainly intended to regulate the granting of mortgages in favour of banks to guarantee credits to the companies in this category, and now it is time to remember that artisanal fishing did not agree with this support of those who are responsible for the contamination of our sea,” Bustamante lashed out. "Sanitary and environmental regulations, like those of the labour conditions, are declarations of good intentions, foundations of the present norm and they leave major doubts with respect to their ability to consolidate a sustainable, environmental and sanitary aquaculture,” she asserted. http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=348853&version=1&template_id=57&parent_id=56 The US “intends to try very hard” to get a ban on all international commercial trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a senior official told Gulf Times yesterday. A proposal to save the highly prized and “overharvested” “sushi-sashimi” species will be hotly debated at the ongoing CITES conference in Doha with the US and Japan leading the rival packs. “Though we have fishermen who will be very affected with a ban, we believe we should not lose a species that is important to the world,” deputy assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, Jane Lyder said in an interview. The official, who is leading the US delegation to the 15th Conference of Parties of the CITES this week, asserted that the bluefin tuna is eligible for Appendix I, the highest level of protection offered by the Convention. The most endangered species of plants and animals, including the tiger, mountain gorilla and all sea turtles, are on Appendix I. “We have a good amount of support, we are still counting votes and looking at what the chances are,” said Lyder who is engaged in hectic consultations with representatives from various countries. In all, 175 nations are parties to CITES and their delegations are attending the conference which runs until March 25 at the Sheraton Doha. “Our view point is that someday the Japanese grandchildren and great grandchildren will be eating bluefin tuna if we can ensure its long term viability and make it a sustainable fishery,” the US official observed. http://www.cphpost.dk/news/international/89-international/48455-denmark-to-help-africa-fight-bio-piracy.html Preventing the exploitation of developing countries’ genetic resources is an important goal for the environment minister Environment minister Karen Ellemann was the opening speaker on Monday for an international ministerial conference on bio-piracy in Windhoek, Namibia, aimed at stopping companies from obtaining genetic resources from countries without providing reciprocal economic benefits. Together with the country's president, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Ellemann hopes the Danish co-sponsored conference will assist Africa in obtaining some of the significant profits from its many genetic resources often used by Western companies. It is estimated that developing countries contain around 80 percent of the world's genetic resources found in nature. Much of the material companies obtain is used to develop products such as cosmetics, medicines and GMOs. Bio-piracy is common in Africa, however, where large international companies typically exploit the countries resources. According to the Environment Ministry, some companies have even gone so far as to take out patents on the development of substances that have already been used for several hundred years in traditional medicines in developing countries. One notable example was chemical company W.R. Grace’s attempted patent on products from the Indian neem tree. ‘It’s high time that we stop the worldwide exploitation of natural genes,’ said Ellemann. Developing countries’ populations must also be a part of Western companies’ profits on creams, medicines or agricultural crops, where the products were developed from those countries’ genetic resources.’ ‘Fair trade would benefit both sides because it would be an incentive for developing countries to protect their rich natural resources, while the companies would be allowed to retain access to those resources,’ she said. The conference in Windhoek, which runs from 8-11 March, aims to prepare African countries for negotiations toward an international agreement at the UN’s Biodiversity Convention, to be held in Japan in October. It is the Biodiversity Convention that determines a country’s ownership of genetic resources. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7413107/Curious-whales-give-boost-to-Mexican-fishermen.html Like other fishermen, he usually beat his boat with a stick to try to frighten the giant mammals away, but for once he hesitated. "The whale insisted, going from one side of the boat to the other, and at one point I was curious and, very gently, I stroked the whale's face. And nothing happened. It stayed calm," Mayoral said, driving a boat of tourists across the San Ignacio lagoon 40 years later Mayoral's first encounter with a friendly whale began the development of a small-scale whale watching industry in the remote spot off Mexico's northwest Baja California peninsula, where gray whales breed and nurse their calves each year after migrating thousands of miles from Canada and Alaska. "The whales came to us, we didn't come to them," said the thin 68 year-old, a smile spreading across his weathered face. Mayoral and his family run one of seven rustic base camps, using eco-tourism practices, such as solar and wind power and compost toilets, which welcome up to 3,000 visitors in a whale-watching season lasting around three months at the start of each year. Their camp ironically lies at the site that locals say was used by whalers to fry blubber, when grey whales were killed for commercial uses in the 19th century. Although a debate rages among some whaling nations about whether to begin limited hunting again, the Pacific gray whales have been protected since 1947, and are at the centre of a growing whale-watching industry. Their numbers dropped by a third, from around 26,000, however, in the decades prior to the late 1990s. Scientists say that the decline was caused by melting Arctic ice affecting their food chains, which include small fish, crustaceans, squid and other tiny organisms. But the adaptable species, which has been around for some 120,000 years, is on the rise again. Not all locals have yet seen the benefits of the ecotourism drive, however, and some complain they are waiting for promised assistance. Fisherman who lead whale-watching trips still struggle to survive for the rest of the year. Mayoral remains enthusiastic about his trips onto the lagoon, however, more than 40 years after his first encounter with a whale. "Am I afraid now? No, not at all," he said as he steered a fishing boat full of tourists across the lagoon. "I wish I could swim with them. If we treat this resource well, who knows how long we'll have it for?" http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=481177 Malaysia's Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin has called for the industrialization of aquaculture in the wake of the declining seafood supply in the country. "With increased seafood demand and declining supplies, there is a need for the industrialization of aquaculture," he said. Yahya, who is also Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, said this in his opening speech in conjunction with the Annual Seminar On Marine Science And Aquaculture at University Malaysia Sabah's (UMS) main campus in Likas, Wednesday. His speech was read by Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry, Datuk Bobbey A. Suan. Commenting further, Yahya said transformation through green technology would be a key factor in sustainability. "If green technology is cost effective, it would be able to support fish rearing, making it affordable to a large section of society facing the food security problem," he added. He said sustaining seafood supplies, which is facing the impact of global warming, is the concern of everyone. In this context, Yahya said it was also important that scientists' look into means of mitigating the eventual decrease of these resources. "The environment affects aquaculture and vice versa. So, with the environment already in a crisis state, we must think of green technology to rear fish via aquaculture. Since we cannot turn back the clock in climate change, we must transform technology and this is something, entirely possible," he highlighted. According to Yahya, it was a challenge for the scientific community to develop methods which were environmentally conducive and efficient in production. "This is the biggest challenge of our times," he noted. He said a beginning had been made to put on trial the integrated farming system and this approach would sustain not only the environment but also aquaculture. He hoped with world class experts in aquaculture at the Borneo Marine Research Institute of UMS, methods for adapting aquaculture to environmental challenges could be formulated, and specific measures identified and implemented towards ensuring its sustainable development.