New Zealand fishing company Sanford - one of only two NZ companies permitted to fish for toothfish in the Ross Sea fishery - has welcomed the efforts of the NZ Government, Navy and other NZ agencies to fight illegal fishing in the waters of Antarctica.
This week the HMNZS WELLINGTON intercepted three vessels fishing illegally in the Southern Ocean. Two of the vessels refused to allow New Zealand Navy personnel to board despite their flag states granting approval.
“Illegal fishing poses many dangers, not only for the environment and fish stocks, but also for responsible licensed crew and vessels that may be called upon to assist in the search and rescue of these rogue operators when they get into trouble operating in these remote and isolated areas,” says Greg Johansson, Sanford’s chief operations officer.
“Regular surveillance by our New Zealand authorities in the Southern/Antarctic Oceans gives authorised fishers like Sanford peace of mind that there are more eyes and resource out there supporting our own efforts to combat illegal fishing. This is proving especially valuable this season with the Navy extending its surveillance area outside of the general Ross Sea region to more remote locations,” he says.
Mr Johansson says that as part of the CCAMLR license agreement for the Ross Sea fishery, vessels like Sanford’s San Aspiring and San Aotea II are always on the look-out for non-permitted vessels and required to report any illegal activity they encounter.
“The areas covered by our vessels in the Ross Sea are not known to harbor IUU activity due to the fishery being covered by ice for nine months of the year. The number of licensed fishing vessels operating in the area and general marine traffic heading to and from research bases in the general Ross Sea region over the summer melt act as a deterrent to unlicensed operators.”
