Indonesia signs fisheries accords with three countries

Indonesia’s marine affairs and fisheries ministry recently signed fishery agreements with three countries consecutively - India, Sri Lanka and Maldives, a minister said.

The extended memorandum of understanding between Indonesia and India on marine and fishery was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in India last January 25, Marine Affairs and Fishery Minister Fadel Muhammad said at a press conference here Monday (Jan 31).

On January 24, Minister Fadel had a meeting with Indian Minister of Earth Sciences Pawan Kumar Bansal to discuss the two countries’ responses to the impact of climate change and the need to conduct further research on the role of the oceans in global climate change, Fadel said.

The two nations’ cooperation covered marine productivity, marine ecosystem health research and monitoring, climate change joint research and observation, marine resources management and applications, he said.

As the world’s second most populated country, India was a potential market for Indonesia’s fishery products, especially tuna, the minister said.

India also planned to invest in seaweed processing in Luwuk and Banggai, Central Sulawesi Province.

From India, Minister Fadel proceeded to Sri Lanka for a working visit.

Fadel and Sri Lankan Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Dr Rajitha Seranatne at their meeting had discussed bilateral cooperation in the marine and fishery sector as well as in aquaculture, particularly in the Indian Ocean.

Minister Fadel on the occasion also emphasized the importance of eradicating Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing to support sustainable and wise marine and fishery resources management in the Indian ocean especially.

Both countries agreed to prepare a draft memorandum of understanding on marine and fishery cooperation expected to be signed in middle of 2011.

Sri Lanka and Indonesia also planned to organize a forum of businessmen engaged in the fishery industry.

After visiting Sri Lanka, Minister Fadel went to Maldives to meet Maldives Fishery and Agriculture Minister Dr. Aminath Jameel in Male.

The two ministers agreed to follow up their meeting by drafting a Letter of Intent expected to be signed in March.

Fadel expressed his interest of learning Maldives’ experiences and policies in managing their small islands.

In the meeting with Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, Minister Fadel said Indonesian businessmen were interested in investing in the fishery sector in Maldives, according to a press statement of the Indonesian marine affairs and fisheries ministry.

Source: http://www.eco-business.com

GeoEye wins VMS contract for Republic of Maldives

GeoEye, Inc. has won a contract from the Republic of the Maldives for a vessel monitoring system that is being developed for fisheries management and safety.

As part of the contract, GeoEye will build the secure infrastructure for a countrywide vessel monitoring system and supply 10 Osprey Personal Tracker™ terminals for a trial deployment.

GeoEye's vessel monitoring system will display vessel positions and consolidate fish catch reports from the Osprey terminals in near-real-time for review by fisheries management personnel at the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture.

The vessel monitoring system also provides the customer with two-way text communication by satellite for both routine and emergency purposes. An integrated "panic button" on each Osprey unit will alert Maldives emergency services to vessels in distress. Vessel positions and messaging will be tracked securely through a comprehensive Web-based control system and database that will include satellite-derived oceanographic charts that GeoEye will update daily.

Adam Manik, director of the Fisheries Development Services section at the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, said, "GeoEye scored highest among the competing firms on their technical proposal and offered the most competitive price. We look forward to working with GeoEye to meet our project targets."

Osprey Personal Tracker terminals report latitude/longitude (GPS) positions on a pre-programmed frequency using the Inmarsat global satellite constellation.

Source:

Indian Ocean cracks down on illegal fishing

Satellite, radar and port inspections will be used to crack down on illegal fishing in the Indian Ocean, where tuna catches have reached the maximum sustainable limits, a regional fishing official said.

Estimated to be about 10 to 15 percent of the region's total catch, illegal and unreported fishing disrupts the tuna trade, worth tens of millions of dollars every year.

Navies in the region, often consisting of just one or two patrol vessels, struggle to intercept the hundreds of small boats, mainly from Taiwan and Indonesia, which spread out across the enormous ocean to catch the precious tuna.

"The main problem with IUU (illegal, unregulated, and unreported) fishing in terms of tuna stocks is ... the fact that we simply don't know how much fish is being taken," said David Ardill, from the inter-governmental Indian Ocean Commission.

"It seems to be a steadily increasing problem in this part of the ocean," Ardill told Reuters, referring to the south west Indian Ocean, the waters around Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, and Reunion, countries which make up the commission.

Small-scale fishing accounts for about half the tuna caught in the ocean, the second largest fishery after the Pacific.

Port inspections will play an increasingly major role in the crackdown, with authorities checking boats, documents and even cargoes, said Ardill, who manages a pilot project to monitor tuna fisheries.

Some 800 vessels were inspected last year in Mauritius' Port Louis, he said, adding that European moves to ensure the traceability of fish products back to approved and legal sources will make illegal fishing even harder.

Authorities in the region are also looking into the use of radar, and satellite pictures from the European Space agency, to check for unregistered fishing boats.

Enforcement is likely to remain problematic, with tiny navies covering enormous areas. But in the past year, French and Mauritian boats have caught illegal boats in Seychellois and Mauritian waters, he said.

"Essentially, the management advice is to limit fishing at current levels or to bring it back to (the levels of) 2 or 3 years back," Ardill said.

Indonesia, Iran, France, Spain, and Maldives catch the most tuna, but Taiwan catches by far the highest value, he said.

Albacore, yellowfin, and bigeye tuna are being fished to the maximum sustainable limit, officials say, but Ardill said tuna stocks may benefit from rising fuel prices.

"I understand that Taiwan has taken something like 130 vessels out of the Indian Ocean, and Japan has done more or less the same sort of thing," Ardill said.

Source: Reuters

Sushi aiding bigeye tuna stock fall

Worldwide stocks of bigeye tuna, a prime source for Japanese restaurants serving sushi and sashimi around the world, are on the verge of collapse from overfishing, a report released yesterday said.

The wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, which is part-run by the conservation group WWF, said a collapse would have a profound effect on fishing fleets as well as on processing and trading industries in Japan and Taiwan.

Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Maldives, which provide processing centres for large vessels and also have fleets of small fishing boats, could also be affected.

"Science demands a sharp reduction in the catch of the bigeye tuna, but over the past decade this advice has been ignored," said Simon Cripps, director of the WWF's International Marine Programme.

He called on member countries of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to agree on a 14 per cent cut "before it is too late", ahead of their meeting in Guam next month.

Organisations that regulate fishing on the high sea have been generally slow to respond to scientists' advice and have failed to address the problem of overfishing of the bigeye, the study said.

Three days ago campaigners said stocks of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna, another staple of Japanese cuisine, were facing exhaustion because of overfishing.

Greenpeace and the WWF said a collapse of the bluefin seemed certain after the international supervisory body for the fish, ICCAT, failed to agree on cutting quotas at a meeting in Turkey last week.

A decline in bluefin stocks has increased demand for the bigeye which is also excessively fished in the Indian and Atlantic oceans and the Western and Central Pacific, the report added.

Source: Reuters

Sri Lanka and Maldives talk fish

Sri Lanka and the Maldives are looking at joint ventures and investment in fisheries following the visit of senior minister from the atolls, a foreign ministry statement said Thursday.

Abdullah Kamaludeen, Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources of Maldives visited Colombo during from 18-20 to attend the second meeting of a special joint commission set up to deal with fishery issues.

Investment and joint collaboration in fisheries, cooperation in research, training and exchange of information, had been discussed at the seminar.

"Both sides exchanged views on practical measures of cooperation in the fisheries sector," the statement said.

"They also explored new areas in this sector for strengthening the existing ties between the two countries."

Fisheries is an important economic activity for both countries, being island nations.

Sri Lanka is keen on building up a deep sea fishing fleet and also setting up canning plants to make better use of the resources in the surrounding seas.

Maldive fish, a desiccated fish product made from boiled tuna is an essential ingredient in some Sri Lankan dishes.

There have also been cases of Sri Lanka fishermen being arrested after straying into Maldives waters.

Source: LBO

Sri Lanka and Male to strengthen the existing ties in fisheries sector

Sri Lanka and Maldives exchanged views on practical measures of cooperation in the fisheries sector in both countries.

The Foreign Ministry here said that Minister of Fisheries, Agriculture & Marine Resources of Maldives Abdullah Kamaludeen, who visited Sri Lanka from 18th to 20th June 2007 to attend the Second Meeting of Sri Lanka – Maldives Sub Commission on Fisheries in Colombo, held talks with the Sri Lankan authorities in this regard.

The Sub Commission on Fisheries was established under the Sri Lanka – Maldives Joint Commission to discuss issues related to fisheries between the two countries. The meeting was jointly chaired by Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources and Kamaludeen.

“During the Sub Commission meeting they also explored new areas in this sector for strengthening the existing ties between the two countries. The meeting also emphasized the importance of investment and joint collaborations in the field of fisheries, cooperation in the area of research, training and exchange of information,” the Ministry said.

Source: Colombo Page

Sri Lankan Fishermen protest against Maldives Government

An umbrella organisation representing fishermen has lodged a strong protest with the Fisheries Minister against the Government granting approval for foreign fishing vessels to fish in Sri Lankan waters and against an existing agreement with the Maldives that continues to affect their livelihoods and the local industry.

National Fisherman Cooperative Society (NFCS) spokesman Herman Kumara told The Sunday Times that due to the superior technology employed in foreign vessels, local fishermen were at a disadvantage to get a decent catch of fish.

“The Fisheries Minister said around 22 foreign fishing vessels were given permission to operate in our waters. The foreign fishing vessels have superior technology and naturally their owners catch more fish,” he said.

He said foreign fishermen are also given preference in the local market while local fishermen were left to sell their fish at a lower price to various independent brokers.

“When President Mahinda Rajapaksa came to power he promised to put an end to the selling of our resources to foreign countries. Why has he not kept his promise?” he asked.

Mr. Kumara said the Government had signed an agreement with the Maldivian authorities to allow them to carry out fishing in Sri Lankan waters while also allowing them to export the fish from Sri Lanka.

“The Government has provided Maldives with shipping vessels to carry out their fishing activities in our seas. We find this unacceptable as the local fishermen are being compromised,” he said.

The NFCS launched a large-scale protest campaign on this issue and following the protest last Monday, the NFCS decided to meet Fisheries Minister Felix Perera to discuss their grievances.

However, Fisheries Ministry Secretary G. Piyasena claimed the Government did not have any agreement with the Maldivian authorities.

“We only have a MoU with the Maldivian authorities to help Sri Lanka with fishing technology,” he said. Yet after the meeting between the two parties held on Wednesday the NFCS claimed the Fisheries Minister admitted to having such an agreement and also decided to cancel the MoU.

Mr. Kumara said the Government also agreed to look into the matter of fixed fish prices and give market preference to local fishermen.

He also said the Fisheries Minister was not prepared to cancel the agreement which allowed foreign fishing vessels to fish in Sri Lankan waters as the revenue loss for the Government would be too immense to bear.

Source: The Sunday Times (Malik Gunatilleke)