FINN (COM) DAILY RECORD FOR 15 DECEMBER 2003
With Relevant Articles from FIBS
Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)
OVERSEAS TERRITORIES CONSULTATIVE COUNCIL REPORT
A Report for BBC World Service “Calling the Falklands” by Jenny Hargreaves (JH) and Louise Swan (LS) 12/12/03
Earlier this week, the Overseas Territories Minister, Bill Rammell, welcomed Chief Ministers and Senior Politicians from the Territories to London for their annual meeting. And, for the first time ever, the Territories Governors were in attendance. Topics discussed included Constitutional Reform, and the role of Governors. The meeting also marked the launch of a new £3 Million environment programme for the territories to be jointly funded by the FCO and DFID. Amongst those present was the Governor of St. Helena, David Hollamby. He’s been working overtime this year on plans to build an airport on the Island – a development, which is vital for the future of the local economy. The project was finally put out to tender in April this year. Louise Swan went to meet David Hollamby (DH) and began by asking him how the Overseas Territories Meeting had gone.
DH: I think it went very well. I found it very constructive. It was a meeting of minds. I think Mr. Rammell was quite right to want Governors to be present for this one-off occasion because the real issue was, after reviewing the 1999 White Paper, the issue was one of governance, of which Governors have a major role to play. And, also taking forward various Constitutional Reviews that are taking place at a different pace in different territories. And, I think what he wanted to achieve was to tell the politicians and at the same time tell the Governors what they have always expected of their Governors. And also what they will continue to expect of their Governors in terms of their role to protect the international commitments that Britain signed up to which are extended to the Overseas Territories and to avoid contingent liabilities. And all these responsibilities had to be re-emphasised. And, I think it was a good tactic to have the Governors and the Politicians sitting in the same room. Although all the dialogue was with the Politicians, it wasn’t with the Governors who are not normally at this event and I think it worked.
LS: Last time I was speaking with you, you had just put out the tenders for proposals for the new airport complex. How did it go?
DH: We were successful, I am pleased to say. By the 25th of July the bids were in and that was the closing date. We had four companies come in. There was Shelco, Basil-Oui, which is part of the French conglomerate, Oui, Largen Holdings and John Liang, the big constructors. And, in August, we appointed W. S. Atkins to do an evaluation and, as Gareth Thomas, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DFID announced about 10 days ago, we will be receiving a report from W. S. Atkins on the 17th of December, which will point the way forward.
LS: And you said they are a company. Are they some sore of consultancy company?
DH: WS Atkins are a very bug consultative company – one of the biggest in the country. And, we needed someone with their skills, particularly skills of a chartered surveyor to do a full assessment – a full technical assessment of the four bids that came in and they have been carrying out this. One of their team, in fact, their project manager, Barry Patterson, has been to St. Helena so he knows the feelings of the people on the ground and we are looking forward to their report on the 17th.
LS: Do you have any sense of the kind of factors that will be guiding their evaluation?
DH: I think that was the main point of Barry Patterson’s visit – so that he could get to talk with people. He had public meetings and saw all the stake-holders. He talked to the Media and he has a good feel of what the Island would like and why they would like an airport and what are the constraints in terms of areas which they really wouldn’t want to give up for the sake of having an airport.
LS: And you are hoping for the negotiations to be done early in 2004?
DH: We hope so, yes. We have obviously to wait and see how the recommendation is first and then we have to take our views from St. Helena Government. DFID will have their views and we are telly-conferencing with the Island every week and we will come to a conclusion as to how we see it.
LS: Talking of DFID, you are expecting an aid package.
DH: Yes. We need to negotiate a new three-year aid agreement. We negotiated the last one at the end of 1999 to cover the next three financial years. We then were asked by DFID to roll over the aid package for a fourth year and that came to about £10.7 Million. We need to negotiate the new aid package before the end of this financial year for the following three financial years.
LS: April 2004.
DH: April 2004, so it’s pretty tight at the moment.
LS: What is the prognosis?
DH: They say they are coming in the early spring. It’s going to be difficult because I take the ship off to Tristan da Cunha from the 9th of January to the 7th of February. There’s a week down there and then it goes to Cape Town for dry-docking, so its missing for another month, so it will be March before we come up so that’s pretty much before the end of the Financial year.
LS: Let’s hope they can make it last.
DH: So do I. We do have a mechanism whereby we can extend it for a few months. But it’s not an ideal situation. We really want to get on with everything we have in mind for the Island and take it forward.
LS: Has it been a good year for St. Helena?
DH: Yes and no. The down side is that since the 21st of May 2002, when British Citizenship was restored, we have lost a quarter of the population.
LS: Wow. Was that expected?
DH: I think we all knew that there would be an exodus. It’s quite a sizeable one. Some people are beginning to drift back because it’s not working out quite as they planned. They thought perhaps the pavements over here were lined with gold. And, they find living here very expensive. The only jobs that really work are those that include accommodation with them. Yes. It’s a big loss of population – about 1200 people. Some are coming back, some have faith in this air access process.
LS: So, the story of the proposed new airport is very much intertwined with the future of the Island, isn’t it?
DH: Absolutely. I don’t really think the Island has a future without air access.
(100X Transcription Service)
NEW GOVERNMENT PLANS TO DETER TOOTHFISH TERRORISTS WELCOMED BY AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY
Legal toothfish companies in Australia have welcomed Australian and French government initiatives announced this week in the ongoing battle against criminal syndicates targeting and stealing the valuable species in the Australian and French zones.
This week Australia signed a new maritime treaty with the French setting a framework for cooperative surveillance and research activity in their respective territorial seas and exclusive economic zones in the Southern Ocean.
The Federal Fisheries Minister, Ian Macdonald, also announced government plans for new laws which will see an increase in maximum fines for those caught fishing illegally plus the ability to recover and include in any bond amount, the cost of pursuit and apprehension of foreign fishing vessels.
“We are delighted that Australia has taken these steps in its ongoing battle to protect this remote and vulnerable Australian territory,” said Mr. David Carter, chief executive of Austral Fisheries, one of the four Australian companies licensed to fish in Australian waters some 4000 kilometres south-west of Albany, Western Australia.
“Australia and France share a long sea border with their adjacent Kerguelen and Heard Island territories. These oceans are the jewel in the crown for toothfish pirates, and any moves that allow us to forge closer links to stop the criminals before they put us all out of business, decimate toothfish stocks and kill thousands more endangered seabirds, is to be applauded.”
Fellow Australian operator David Williams said he hoped the signing of the treaty and the new laws would send a powerful message to the environmental vandals who continue to plunder Australian fisheries, and destroy the unique Antarctic environment.
“The legal toothfish industry is committed to sustainable fisheries management practices and preservation of the unique marine environment for future generations. So any tools which can be adopted to protect our fisheries and sovereignty are very welcome, and the Government is to be congratulated on its proactive approach to this significant problem” Mr. Williams said.
Media Contacts Jenny Hodder: +618 92020 2457 (mobile) 0412 005 400
David Williams: Managing Director HIMI Longline Management 0405 169 308
Les Scott: Petuna Fisheries +613 6427 9033
Christian Pyke: Raptis +617 3249 7888 (m) 0411 595 920
27 November 2003
A BRAND NEW TASK FORCE TO FIGHT ILLEGAL FISHING
A Report for BBC World Service “Calling the Falklands” by Jenny Hargreaves (JH) 12/12/03
Sitting here in London, it’s hardly for me to tell you that illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean is a very serious problem, indeed. And, it’s already lead to a serious decline in the number of Patagonian Toothfish. What could be done to curb this threat? Various agreements have been signed over the last few years but success is still far away. Now, there’s a real glimmer of hope on the horizon. Five Maritime Countries, Australia, Britain, Chile, Namibia and New Zealand have got together to launch a top-level task force to tackle illegal fishing. This is the first initiative of its kind. It will be lead by Britain’s Minister of State for the Environment, Eliot Morley. The aim is to draw together all the different initiatives taken so far and generate the political will to tackle the issue head on. Amongst those involved is Simon Upton (SU), Former New Zealand Environment Minister. When I spoke to him on the phone earlier today, I asked him how widespread illegal fishing really is.
SU: The honest answer is that it’s an unknown percentage of an ill-defined resource. The reason I say that is that most of what we know about the world’s fisheries is known about the fisheries within the Economic Exclusion Zones of Countries. The further out to sea you go, the less you know because no one owns the high seas. All we know is that in those bits of the world which are trying to be managed by regional fisheries organisations, it appears to be big. For instance, in the Southern Oceans, which are under the management of CCAMLR, there are places where it is estimated stocks of fish have collapsed by anything up to 90%. That doesn’t all happen from legal fishing.
JH: Indeed. Now, do we have a clear idea of who is doing this illegal fishing?
SU: We certainly know its being done by boats flying the flag of countries who don’t ask any questions about what they are doing. Finding out who the owners of the boats are is more complicated, often because the ultimate ownership can be hidden behind layers of complicated corporate structures. But, if listeners are interested in catching up with determined people who are trying to reveal the truth, there’s a very interesting organisation, which is interested in the Southern Oceans called the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators or COLTO. And, on their website, which is at www.colto.org, they maintain what they call a Rogues Gallery of illegal operators. And, having just visited the site again this morning, I can tell you that there’s no shortage of alleged culprits.
JH: You have put your finger on the big problem there, which is flags of convenience. And, not actually knowing, in the final analysis, who actually owns these boats. What can be done about this very knotty problem?
SU: This is the crux of the issue and it goes back to the Law of the Sea. The Law of the Sea governs what happens on the high seas. The Law of the Sea was negotiated in 1982. What it says is that if you are flying a flag, then the only country that can enforce any international law which you may be breaching is the country that gave you the flag. So, if you fly a British Flag, only the British Government can call you to order. The problem with that, of course, is that it effectively creates little pockets of moving sovereignty around the world. And, if your particular flag state doesn’t take too much interest in what you do, you have effectively, immunity. Now, the only real way you could guaranty to control this would be to change the Law of the Sea. And that would be to say that you don’t have to be the flag state, other states could intervene. Many flag states are extremely wary of that and I can’t see that happening in a hurry. What we have been doing over the last 10 years is papering the walls with other treaties, which try to make it harder, try to extend the regional organisations. But at the end of the day, the honest answer is that if a country hasn’t signed one of these treaties then what the fishing boat does is not illegal. It remains legal in terms of international law.
JH: So, what new ideas have people come up with to break this deadlock because it seems that illegal fishing is actually on the increase.
SU: All sorts of ideas and we don’t necessarily have to solve the Flag of Convenience problem to tackle it. One thing countries can do is to deny access to boats which fly the flags of countries that don’t do the job. Or, if they do come into port, to impound what are called Port State Measures. Another thing countries can do is to ban the importation of fish which has been illegally caught and, in the Southern Oceans,, again, CCAMLR has set up a scheme where-by only legally fished Toothfish, for instance, identified with a mark, can go into some of the richest countries in the world. Now, these things aren’t absolutely water-tight because you can always find a market that isn’t part of the scheme, or a country which won’t close its ports. But through international pressure, you can make it progressively harder and harder for the stuff to find a market.
JH: This all sounds very encouraging. And, with the creation of this ministerial task force, where are you going from here? What’s the next initiative?
SU: I wouldn’t, at this stage, say it’s necessarily encouraging. There’s lots of ideas but there are so many holes and gaps in the system. And, the level of engagement of countries is so different that we really have a very, very long way to go. What this task force is about is trying to get some political leadership behind some of the hopeful solutions. One of the criticisms people have made over the last 10 years is there doesn’t seem to be enough political will. There’s all the treaties in the world, it comes down to enforcement. So, what we’ve got here are a group of countries whose citizens have said that they will take the lead politically and want to make progress and that they are going to say what they think should be done and they are going to advocate for it. I wouldn’t for a minute suggest that this task force will solve the problem but certainly it will provide a very high level of political focus on the problem and hopefully these Ministers will be able to persuade some of their colleagues to join them.
JH: Do you have a kind of time-table?
SU: The aim is to be quite quick about this. We don’t want to re-invent the wheel. We are not going to do a big round of Naval Gazing. We want to pull together all of the threads in the space of about 18 to 24 months and give the Ministers who have set this task force up the best information in the world to tell them what you would do next if you wanted to make a difference. As I said before, there is no shortage of proposed solutions but the real question is, which ones would get you the furthest. What are the key points of leverage. And, they may not all be about negotiating another treaty. For my part, I think we have done quite enough of that. We actually have to do some other things.
(100X Transcription Service)
Visit of the Anglican Bishop of Chile
By Graham France
Ther Anglican Bishop of Chile, Bishop Tito, and his wife Myriam arrived in the Falklands on Saturday 6th December and were guests of His Excellency the Governor, Mr Howard Pearce, at Government House. This was Bishop Tito’s second visit to the Islands; he was here two years ago in the company of Bishop Colin Bazeley, the former Bishop of Chile, and Myriam’s first.
The primary purpose of his visit, amongst a busy schedule of engagements, was to conduct the service of Induction of the Reverend Paul Sweeting as Rector of the Parish of the Falkland Islands and Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church Cathedral, and which took place the day after his arrival.
During this, Bishop Tito conducted the service of Confirmation into the Church of England of Helen Davies and Edward Freer, and preached to the large congregation a highly interesting sermon on the mission of Christians.
The Bishop was again in action during the Battle Day service held at the Cathedral also later at the Battle Monument where he gave the Blessing.
On Tuesday, in the company of the Reverend Paul and his wife Maxine, the Bishop and Myriam travelled to Port Louis for the consecration of the new burial ground there.
The opportunity was taken on Thursday to visit areas of the North Camp during which they met members of the community and saw a number of penguin colonies.
Bishop Tito and Myriam, who live in Santiago, have four children: three sons and one daughter named Tito, Pablo, David and Carola. With overall responsibility for the pastoral affairs of Anglicans in Chile, the Bishop, who trained as a pharmacist before turning to God, travels extensively not only in that country but overseas, attending many gatherings of bishops. At a farewell dinner at the Brasserie, hosted by members of the Council of Christ Church Cathedral and Trustees with their spouses, Myriam said this visit was so unlike others, when he usually travelled alone, in that she had been able to accompany her husband and would therefore able to share their memories of the Falklands.
Asked for their impressions of the visit, they said the peacefulness and overall security they felt in the Islands was very significant, also it was wonderful to see the way people greeted each other both in the street and when out driving their cars. They both felt very much at home in the Falklands.
Bishop Tito and Myriam returned to Chile on last Saturday’s LanChile flight and before they left both said how much they hoped to return in the not too distant future.
FIBS NEWS DIRECT FOR MONDAY 15 DECEMBER 2003:
GORDON FORBES:
The Falkland Islands Government has been ordered to pay 80% of the Gordon Forbes (Falklands) costs in connection with an appeal heard in the Supreme Court in June. The case relates to a long-standing dispute over money allegedly owed by FIG to the Company for work on the East Stanley Development. An arbitration on the case, which is currently going on in Scotland with a judgement expected in the new year. But a small part of the case was dealt with in June by the Supreme Court here in the Falklands, where Acting Judge, Nick Sanders, ruled against FIG. The latest order means FIG has to pay both its own costs and also 80% of Gordon Forbes’ legal costs. The Judge noted that normally FIG, as the losing party, would pay all the other side’s costs. But he said taking into account the conduct of both parties in the case both before and during the Court hearing, and in particular, the conduct of Gordon Forbes Ltd. solicitor, the court felt that the costs payable to Gordon Forbes should be limited to 80% of their total claim.
Councillors said they would not comment while the main part of the case was on-going but Attorney General, David Lang, said this morning FIG was considering whether to appeal against the order, and expecting the decision to be taken at this week’s EXCO.
GREASE:
Nearly £300.00 was raised from the charity Grease Night that was held in the Narrows Bar on Friday. The night was jointly organised by Edwina Hoy and Annie Curtis at the Narrows and the EOD. All of the money raised was split between Edwina’s choice of charity, which was the Stephen Jaffray Memorial Fund and the EOD Charity Pot, which includes BLESMA, the Royal British Legion and the Widows of Soldiers killed in Iraq.
OFF TO ST. HELENA:
The Works Manager for PWD here in the Falklands is heading off to pastures new. Bill Scanes has been appointed as St. Helena’s Chief Engineer and he will be taking up the post on the 8th of January.
FLH COMMITTEE MEETING CANCELLED:
The Falkland Landholdings Committee Meeting scheduled for this morning at North Arm was cancelled. The meeting was to be held at 1000 in the North Arm Social Club but not enough members of the Committee could make it, so it’s been postponed.
TAMAR:
Voyage 309 is running on schedule for the crew of the Tamar. They are due to arrive at Hill Cove tomorrow afternoon and will then travel on to Westpoint and Carcass. The vessel is expected back onto Stanley on Thursday to unload wool before heading around to Pt. San Carlos for a ferry run. Island Shipping say loading will start at 0800 on the 20th and anyone wanting to book a place needs to contact the office before close of business (Time Not Given)
BUOY:
A drifter buoy that was washed up on Falklands shores a few months ago has hit the press again. News agency Scoop adds more details to the story FIBS brought you earlier this year. It reveals that the buoy had travelled 8700 km east from where it was first deployed, taking 693 days to make the journey. The article says scientists said they thought they had seen the last of the buoy when it got lost during an experiment in the ocean back in 1999. Scientist, Cliff Law, says that they were amazed to see a letter from David Middleton from Fisheries telling the team that it had, in fact, washed up in the Falklands.
ANTARCTIC MAPS:
Maps from Antarctica dating from the Scott and Shackleton’s expeditions are helping scientists to study the icy continent’s modern environment. The Times says that the charts, among others prepared during polar missions of past centuries, provide valuable data on the historic shape of the ice that surrounded Antarctica and valuable insights into the impact of climate change. Over 500 maps have been assembled by a Dutch Geographer, with some of them dating back more than 200 years. Computer software will be used to combine the data so that changes in the ice shelves can be seen.
(100X Transcription Service)
WOOL REPORT: for the week ending Friday 12th December 2003
Auctions
The Australian Eastern Market Indicator lost five cents on Tuesday, lost another six cents on Wednesday and drifted two more cents on Thursday. The EMI thus closed the week down 1.6 percent or 13 cents at 775 A cents. ‘The Australian wool auctions saw an indifferent tone this week, with 83% sold. The Australian dollar rose above 74 US cents on Tuesday and Wednesday, slowing the wool market. Practically all micron categories lost ground.’ WRWMR
In New Zealand the Fine Indicator was quoted down eight to 1,025 NZ cents. The Medium Indicator was quoted down 11 cents. The Strong Indicator closed a cent lower at 385 NZ cents on last week. The Lamb Indicator ended the week up 13 cents 376 NZ cents. There was an 85 percent clearance.
The Cape Wools Overall Merino Indicator drifted 0.8 percent moving from 2,835 SA cents to 2,813 SA cents, 94% of bales were sold.
The British sale saw 75 percent sold with prices firm to three percent off.
Currencies & Stock Markets
This week the Australian dollar was trading weaker at around A$2.36/£; combined with the lower wool market this had the effect of lowering sterling prices for Australian wool by up to 20 p/kg. The New Zealand dollar was also trading weaker at around NZ$2.69/£.
FWG Agency
Both general combing and speciality scouring supply interest received this week.
My December Visit Itinerary currently is as follows: 15th: Arrive MPA; 16th Stanley Meetings; 17th Fly to Port Edgar and stay at South Harbour; 18th to Fox Bay, staying at Coast Ridge; 19th to Hill Cove via Sheffield, staying at The Peaks; 20th Fly to Stanley; North Camp 21st staying at Mount Kent; 22nd staying at Hope Cottage; 23rd staying at Kingsford Valley; 24th – 29th Stanley; 30th Depart MPA. My very grateful thanks to those people kindly having me to stay and passing me along the track. Please make arrangements with me/my hosts to meet me if you are able to.
My Stanley contact telephone number c/o Gerald and Marie = 21402.
With Thanks and Regards
Robert
