Brussels, 10/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - EU Fisheries Minister Joe Borg has welcomed the measures recently adopted by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia, to fight illegal fishing in the CCAMLR area. CCAMLR is a regional fisheries management organisation set up in 1982 to try and avoid extinction of krill in the Antarctic. It currently has 24 members (the European Union, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Chile, the United States, Russia, India, Japan, Namibia, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Ukraine and Uruguay).
The sheer scale of the Antarctic and the inhospitable conditions there make it very difficult for CCAMLR members to take action against illegal fishing. The European Commission explains that 'this is the first time a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation has adopted such a comprehensive measure that is binding upon all of its Members.' The scheme commits CCAMLR Members to acting against their nationals who are suspected of involvement in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) activities at any stage of the fisheries supply chain. The term 'national' includes both natural persons (individuals) and legal persons (companies) subject to the legal jurisdiction of a CCAMLR Member. While Flag States remain obliged to act against vessels operating under their flags, the scheme provides all Members with both an international obligation and an effective legal basis for action against their nationals who may be operating under so-called 'flags of convenience'. Members are also obliged to build up a cooperation framework for the exchange of all possible information on persons or companies which are allegedly involved in IUU activities so that exhaustive investigations may be conducted. CCAMLR Members will have to transpose the new scheme into their national legislation by 1 July 2008 at the latest. The main species targetted for protection are Antarctic toothfish, crab, krill and Antarctic icefish (mackerel icefish). (lc)