FINN(COM) DAILY RECORD: 12 FEBRUARY 2004

(With Relevant Stories from FIBS)

 

Compiled by J. Brock (FINN)

 

LEGCO TO MEET:

 

A meeting of Legislative Council will take place in the Court and Council Chamber at 1030 on Tuesday, 27 February 2004.

 

 

 

Fishers Challenge Australian Sovereignty: Commonwealth

By Peter Collins

Incursions by fishermen into the Australian Fishing Zone was seen as a
challenge to Australian sovereignty, the Perth Magistrates Court was told
today. (12/02/04)

35 fishing crew of the boat Maya V, allegedly caught inside the Australian
Fishing Zone on January 21 this year, were charged under the Australian
Fisheries Resource Management Act for allegedly operating a vessel
illegally inside Australian waters.

It is the first time that alleged illegal patagonian toothfish fishing
vessel crew with no prior record have been charged with the offence.

"Parliament considers the protection of our fisheries as of utmost
importance," Amber Goddard for the Commonwealth Department of Public
Prosecutions told Magistrate Packington presiding.

Ms Goddard said there was a rising concern of illegal foreign fishing
vessels in the Australian Fishing Zone and that Australian sovereignty was
challenged by the activities.

Mr Mark Manners for the defendants who are mostly Chilean and Uruguayan,
had earlier told the court that their was no evidence to suggest the
fishermen were fishing inside Australian waters.

He said the fishers would all vigorously challenge the charges.

At one stage, when offered to question the Magistrate about the charges,
several fishermen spoke to the court through translator Henra Cerda, with
one saying the crew had no knowledge they were inside the Australian
Fishing Zone.

Ms Goddard responded to both the fishing crew and defence lawyers
assertions to the court, by saying: "it doesn't require knowledge they are
in the AFZ."

"We have we have a strong case," she told the court.

The court was told that the crew's employer, believed to be Alcimar SA,
would not meet bail for the crew, who were taken from court to Hakea Prison
Farm.

Magistrate Packington said he had to concur with previous Magistrates
dealing with illegal patagonian toothfishing charges, and Supreme Court
Justice Miller, that the men would pose a flight risk if no bail was posted.

If the crew can make bail, they are allowed to reside in Fremantle and
report twice weekly to police, Mr Packington said.

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FIBS NEWS DIRECT: THURSDAY, 12 FEBRUARY 2004

 

CPA OPENING CEREMONY:

 

Local children are to be involved in the opening ceremony of the CPA Regional Conference on Monday in the Court and Council Chamber.  Lisa Newton will start things off by singing the National Anthem once the Governor, Speaker of the House and the delegates have arrived and taken their seats.  Cllr Richard Cockwell will then give a welcome speech before introducing the Speaker of the House, Tim Blake, who will also give a short speech.  This will be followed by performances of “Build a Mountain” and “Drop in the Ocean” from the school choir under the directorship of Shirley Adams-Leach.  The Speaker of the House will then introduce H. E. the Governor, who will address the audience before the choir performs “Song of the Falklands.”  The whole ceremony will be broadcast live on FIBS.

 

SHIPPING NEWS:

 

The Tamar was due into Fox Bay this afternoon to make her second collection of wool for the Anne Boye.   She will be back in Stanley tomorrow to unload and cargo will be transferred on to the damaged Anne Boye with shore cranes, which have been hired from Neil McKay Co. Ltd to make up for the damaged winches on the Anne Boye’s own cranes.  She’s expected to sail to the UK over the weekend.  Darwin Shipping director, Roger Spink, said the Company has chartered a different vessel, the Maryanne Dinika, for the next voyage.  She will be loading in Shoreham on 01 March, leaving on the 8^th and arriving here on April 8^th.  Roger says this should put Darwin Shipping schedules back on track.

 

CRICKET TEAM’S LAST MATCH:

 

The Falkland Islands Cricket Team play their last match today – They were up against a British team.  The match began at 1300 LMT, consisting of 40 Overs .  Tomorrow the team will take a break from Cricket, visiting vineyards and enjoying dinner at the British Ambassador’s residence before they fly back to the Islands on Saturday.

 

POLICE NEWS:

 

Police say their investigations are still ongoing into two recent fires on the Islands at Bombilla and Green Island.  Bombilla House caught fire on the 19^th of January and a forensic expert visited the Islands earlier this month to prepare a report for Falklands CID.  Green Island burned from coast to coast 10 days later, despite attempts by the MPA Fire Fighters to get the blaze under control.  No one has been charged in either case.

 

HALF MARATHON:

 

Don’t forget that on Sunday, runners will be taking to the roads for this year’s Cape Pembroke Half Marathon.  If you haven’t entered your name yet, it’s not too late.  You only have until Friday to pick up a form and hand it back into Fran Biggs along with a £6.00 entry fee, which will also get you a tee shirt and a snack.  Walkers are to meet at the totem pole on the Airport Road at 0915, ready to start at 0930.  And, if you are running, you need to meet at the leisure centre between 1000 and 1030 for a briefing before the run, which starts at 1100, also from the totem pole.  And, if you can still walk after the event, the prize giving is happening at 1400 in the leisure centre.  Fran says she will take entries on the day but she would prefer to know in advance who will be there.

 

SPIDER MAN:

 

The talk of spiders may make you shiver and your blood run cold but one man has spent a large part of his life studying the eight-legged beasts.  Dr. Alistair Lavery (AL) is in the Islands at the moment, looking to find out where the species differ around different areas of the Islands.  He was here in 2001 doing education work with Falklands Conservation.

 

AL:  I had a look at the spiders while I was here in my spare time and I started then trying to work out if it would be worth coming back to do more work on the spiders.  And, with the help of my employers, the RSPB and the Shackleton Trust, I am now back in 2004 for a couple of weeks looking at the spiders of the Falkland Islands. 

 

SEAFISH FALKLANDS:

 

The Annual General Meeting of Seafish (Falklands) the Islands’ Public Fishing Company, was held in the Chamber of Commerce Meeting Rooms last night.  The AGM had been timed to coincide with a visit to the Islands by the Managing Director of Pesca Nova, Seafish Joint Venture partners in the Loligo fishery.  Unfortunately, events elsewhere forced the cancellation of his visit.  The meeting was followed by a power-point presentation by General Manager, Hamish Wyley and a hot buffet for shareholders.

 

FISHING AND PORT NEWS:

 

Another 10 jiggers have been in today for licensing.  The Zalgares and Typhoon are in Berkley Sound and the launches, James Caird and Nimrod from the HMS Endurance are motoring up and down Port William as they carry out their Hydrographic survey.  There are 17 vessels fishing in the zone.  Though most catches are variable, Hoki catches have been good.

 

POACHING:

 

At least 17 Long-liners, which CCAMLR claims are involved in illegal unreported or undeclared fishing have been using Montevideo as a base.  Since the “D” licences for international waters became available, so called Mafia of Spanish, Chilean and Russian origin that trade with Patagonian and Antarctic Toothfish have been operating in the port.  The Viarsa1 and Maya V are among these.  The Uruguayan Fisheries Director has said that six of these vessels recently had their licences revoked.  Labormar, a joint-venture with Vidal Amadores SA from Galicia is in the process of being excluded from the Uruguayan register.  As well as poaching, manipulating satellite positions and adulterating the books, several of the Uruguayan flagged vessels don’t respect the 50% Uruguayan Crew requirement demanded by the “D” Licence contract.

 

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