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Toothfish Poaching Scandal Challenges CCAMLR Nations: WWF Calls for Closure of High Seas Fishing for Toothfish

November 5, 1997

(en español)

Fishing Net HOBART, Australia -- WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature called today for an end to all high seas fishing for the Patagonian toothfish in the Southern Ocean until better management and enforcement measures can be put into place to halt the escalating poaching of this commercially-valued species.

New evidence of illegal fishing was unveiled last week at the scientific committee meeting of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which began here 27 October. Scientists estimate that during the last year up to 80 vessels were involved in either illegal or unregulated catch worth US $200-300 million. Illegal fish catch is estimated at 100,000 tonnes compared to the legal allotment of around 13,000 tonnes.

"Modern day piracy is alive and well, and unregulated fishing for the highly-prized Patagonian toothfish has reached dangerous levels," said Margaret Moore, a senior conservation officer at WWF-Australia. "WWF applauds the recent action taken by the Australian government to crackdown on the illegal fishers, but further action is needed. CCAMLR nations must now follow up by closing all fishing for toothfish on the high seas until fail-safe enforcement measures are in place."

The circumpolar fishery for Patagonian toothfish is the latest example of the "gold rush" that has characterized many high seas fisheries in recent years. Such fisheries often involve "boom and bust" cycles of rapid escalation of fishing effort and depletion of populations.

The toothfish is a deepwater, long-lived species that is poorly understood by scientists. In such cases, WWF believes that precautionary catch limits should be set until scientists better understand the population dynamics of the species.

"This unregulated, open season on the Patagonian toothfish illustrates why we need the new treaty governing fishing on the high seas," said Michael Sutton, director of WWF's Endangered Seas Campaign. The treaty, known as the UN Agreement on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, was negotiated in 1995 but has not yet entered into force for want of ratification by 30 countries. "Once this treaty has enough nations' support, regional management bodies, such as CCAMLR, will be empowered to deal with pirate fishing nations," he added.

Other issues being addressed at CCAMLR, which ends this week, include the impacts of longline fisheries on seabirds and other marine wildlife. Longlines, used to catch toothfish, are responsible for large scale deaths of seabirds. Illegal toothfish fishery alone is estimated to kill between 45,000 to 145,000 seabirds - including threatened albatrosses and petrels.

CCAMLR has 23 member states who have fishing interests in the region. Its aim is to prevent overexploitation of fish and krill in the Southern Ocean, as well as to prevent harmful impacts from fishingon the entire Antarctic marine ecosystem.

Contact:
Someshwar Singh at WWF International's Conservation News Service at (41) 22-364-9553.