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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 14, 2012 at 11:02am

Even Tony Burke concedes that the super-trawler may cause depletion of fish stocks in areas where it may be used. More work will need to be done before any decision is made.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/206831/super-trawler-poses-problem...

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 15, 2012 at 4:52am

Been on Top of this one for a while Via membership of FleetMon Explorer,One of the few good things Greenpeace has done took place in Holland where they delayed it for a While.

Lying Gillard Government that say they have not yet given permission to the deployment of this vessel,You do not bring a ten thousand tonne ship half way around the world without all the paperwork already sorted.

THe FV Magiris along with it's fellow predominately Dutch owned but registered elsewhere Super Trawlers have Raped and Pillaged the North Atlantic as well as off the Coasts of Africa.

The Tasmanian partner in this debacle proposes to export fish taken to Africa quoting the urgent necessity of supplying Protein to the locals over there,Considering this ship and others have destroyed the fishing for Local African subsistence fishers who now have to Buy Tasmanian Fish from the same people who destroyed their Fishing grounds.

Few people are aware that as well the Gillard Government has also expanded the Commercial Fishing Grounds they can target,The Fishing Vessel which is essentially a Factory Trawler that processes the catch on board can range from South of Western Australia all the Way up to off the Reef in Queensland.

 

Marine parks are being set up close to the coast to stop recreational and local Fishermen who generally fish closer to shore due to the nature of Australias continental Shelf from Fishing yet the Government has allowed a new attack on the grounds of Pelagic Species where the younger Fish first venture toward adulthood.

 

THe Vaccum pump and Net system these ships use do not discriminate,Everything from Dolphins,Sharks and Seals as well as fish not on the List of Catch species allowed under their contract will Die and be thrown back to remain within Legal contractual terms,What an in truth Criminal waste and a system that is destroying the worlds fisheries.

Sadly even traditional methods as used in Asia have depleted and near destroyed their fish stocks .Hence why we have many from Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia poaching in Australian Waters,And no doubt an Incentive for poor fishermen to move into people smuggling.

 

Australia in my opinion by improving Fisheries management in Indonesia could actually fight effectively against people smugglers in that fashion by removing the incentive of finding an income to supplement poor fishing grounds,Fishing grounds that are failing due to poor management and overfishing especially in Nursery areas where the next generation of Fish and born and bred.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 15, 2012 at 11:02am

Once again Stephen you have raised some important issues that I had not thought about. I have no idea why Tasmania would even want to use such a very large trawler to fish the southern and eastern coasts of Australia. What do they hope to gain? I have heard that it is to catch mackerel and red bait fish only. But what a lot of money just to catch these two species. Given that there is a quota system once this is reached what will the trawler be doing after that?

Many questions that we need to know the answers to before it is approved. I have a strange feeling that there is much that we are not being told about this.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 15, 2012 at 2:13pm

The Dutch super trawler Margiris is the target of escalating opposition ahead of its arrival in Australian waters.

The Greens and the independent MP Andrew Wilkie have each launched attempts to overthrow a federal government decision on fishing quotas that the Margiris is to use.

Public protest shifted to Canberra today, where a 35,000-name petition was lodged against the ship at a rally by environmentalists and recreational fishermen.

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/216816/super-trawler-a-target-of-e...

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 16, 2012 at 3:39pm

Environment Minister Tony Burke is considering intervening in the approval process for a massive "super trawler" to start fishing in Australian waters in coming weeks, amid concerns about the trawler's impact on fish stocks.

Mr Burke is understood to be furious that the Australian Fishing Management Authority publicly dismissed his concerns that the FV Margiris, a Dutch-owned, 9500-tonne super trawler, could have a major impact on local fisheries.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/223294/super-trawlers-impact-ha...

and the National Times is also reporting on this issue:

 

http://www.nationaltimes.com.au/opinion/political-news/super-trawle...

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho on August 16, 2012 at 6:32pm

Hi Dr Caroline,

This would be a good move, if Minister Burke actually did something right and cancelled this fish vacuuming disaster from operation in Australian Waters.

Burke signed the OK for the ongoing disaster that  is Gladstone.

Regards,

Jeff

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 16, 2012 at 6:40pm

Therefore Jeff his credentials for such a position are really suspect.

But knowing how well organised the Greenpeace and Green Groups are in Tasmania (as that is where the trawler will be stationed ?moored) I seriously doubt this fishing vacuuming in Australian waters will ever get off the ground. One just needs to look at how they are brought the Timber Industry to its knees in Tasmania. 

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 18, 2012 at 5:01am

Sadly even though Greenpeace are Organised I believe this can already be considered as a Fait Accompli as it undoubtably has already been approved by the Beaurocrats.

They are in so many ways the real hidden fifth columnists in Australia as even getting Rid of the Gillard Government does not remove those treacherous types who drown us in Rules and Regulations from the United Nations and elsewhere.

The amount of destruction done by these so called "Super Trawlers" is frightening when you find time to search about it and I seriously think the expanding of our Commercial Fishing grounds was not done for the benefit of Australian Fishermen,I only found out about that one by sheer luck chasing different links and leads checking out about this particular FV.

 

The Ship do not forget is a Factory ship that does all it's processing and freezing on board and therefore has little need to come into port and the so called Australian crew is but a token thing and they could be transferred on board offshore limiting just how effective Greenpeace locals could be.

There is no way it is coming all this way without a guarantee of Gillard Government support to undertake it's assault on our fisheries.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 18, 2012 at 12:45pm

WHEN news broke that a massive commercial fishing vessel was heading this way, there was little hint of the equally massive amount of controversy it would cause.

The official announcement that the FV Margiris would soon call Devonport home came in early June. 

The announcement was accompanied by a flashy information pack complete with pictures of the 143-metre long vessel. 

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/230389/margiris-deal-fine-until-so...

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 18, 2012 at 3:51pm

http://www.thenewscollective.org/display-related-news.php?itemHeadl...

West Africa was hit particularily hard by these so called Super Trawlers but currently due to the high level of interest in Seafish Australia and the FV Magiris it is somewhat of an exercise finding information of their past exploits though this action from Senegal should give people an idea of how serious a threat these vessels are and those are the Legal ones we know about.

Over fifty percent were fishing Illegally in Senegalese waters from EU Flagged or Flag of Convenience Vessels it makes you wonder just how much poaching is happening in our Southern Oceans.\

We already know Indonesians poach across much of Northern Australia as they have overfished their Local Nurseries and seeing as that goose on the Sea Shepard focuses all attention on Whales down South just how much Damage by overfishing has already occured South of Australia because nobody has taken any notice.

 

It is a big ocean down there and I bet the last time we had any decent surveilance was searching for Tony Bullimore or the more recent Greenpeace Incident of Western Australia.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 19, 2012 at 11:18am

You raise some interesting points here Stephen, but then I have come to expect that from you. Regarding the lack of patrol of our southern waters for illegal fishing, that would be part of our armed forces role would it not?

Reduced budget and increase survey of our north western region for illegal fishing and people smuggler boat escort duties means that the points you raise must be of a growing concern to all Australians.

In Tasmania the debate is now heating up re the super trawler according to the Sunday Examiner today:

The super trawler has not lost its larger than life character, but it is now firmly the villain of this story.

A huge army of Tasmanian recreational fishers, who have shown impressive mobilisation skills, can take credit for reframing the vessel and putting the issue on the national agenda. 

They sure know how to stage a protest. They've used their boats to great effect, both on the road and the water. As a result, they've drawn huge attention to the issue and Canberra has started to take notice. 

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority argues the paleagic fishery in question, which takes in Commonwealth waters from Western Australia to New South Wales, can sustain the 18,000 quota.

But recreational fishers fear the FV Margiris could take a large chunk of that from just a few places rather than evenly spread across the large area. 

Supporters of the boat say the fishermen's campaign is based on emotion and fear generated from the sheer size of the vessel, rather than science. 

For weeks, Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig has refused to get involved in what he says is a matter for the independent authority which granted the quota.

But that has not stopped Mr Burke coming in from the sidelines this week echoing fishermen's concerns about localised depletion and threatening to land what could be a big blow to the company's plans. 

He may not be able to turn the vessel around, but he looks set to ensure the final approvals are not merely a formality. 

 

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 21, 2012 at 5:26pm

THE fishing quota for controversial Devonport-bound super trawler the FV Margiris will be investigated following a claim it could be illegal.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) process will come under scrutiny from the Commonwealth Ombudsman following a complaint by Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

Mr Wilkie has claimed the decision may have been unlawful because the director of the company planning to operate the trawler, Seafish Tasmania's Gerry Geen, sits on an AFMA committee that recommends the quota.

He says minutes are missing from the committee teleconference that discussed the quota in March, so it is not known whether Mr Geen absented himself.

Acting Commonwealth Ombudsman Alison Larkins said the investigation would be conducted in private.

The controversial vessel is due in Devonport later this month to trawl for 18,000 tonnes of redbait and jack mackerel.

The development came as Seafish attempted to ease concerns about overfishing by proposing a "move-on" approach where the 142-metre factory ship would limit its catch in single areas.

Mr Geen made the proposal to federal Fisheries Minister Joe Ludwig's working group on the trawler.

"It was always intended that we fish widely and sustainably throughout the fishery which extends from Western Australia to New South Wales.".....

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/235142/ombudsman-to-probe-super...

It has been a long way to bring a super trawler without some guarantees but community opposition may have some effect at least on its quotas.

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