06 Nov
2006 - Hobart, Tasmania - The Australian Government
must take the lead on regional fisheries management
in the southern Pacific Ocean before stocks of
more fish species are decimated.
Today, as more than 25 governments
begin negotiations to create yet another regional
fisheries management organisation for the high
seas of the southern Pacific Ocean, WWF is calling
on the Australian Government to take immediate
and strong action.
Australia must help put in place
stringent interim measures to safeguard marine
resources in this area and ensure the negotiations
result in a new breed of international convention.
It is proposed the agreement
will cover non-tuna marine resources on the high
seas from the Antarctic Convergence up to the
Equator in the Pacific Ocean.
WWF spokesperson, Lorraine Hitch said: "With
the exception of tuna resources, there are now
no management measures in place for high seas
in the South Pacific despite large-scale, unregulated
fishing occurring there for many years.
"This fishing has not only
decimated a number of commercial fish stocks,
such as Orange Roughy and lobster, but has also
resulted in irreparable damage to sensitive sea-bed
areas and impacted species with no commercial
value," Ms Hitch said.
"WWF is concerned this
new agreement is already rushing down the same
path taken by other regional fisheries management
organisations, which is characterised by overfished
stocks, illegal fishing, rampant vessel over-capacity
and largely unmitigated impacts on the broader
marine environment.
"What is urgently needed
is a new breed of fisheries agreement that learns
the lessons from what has worked and what has
not," Ms Hitch said.
"We have the opportunity
to lead a new way of thinking about fisheries
conservation and management on the high seas -
one that benefits not only the fishing industry
in sustainably using the commercial resources
but one that isn't detrimental to the albatross,
marine turtles and deepwater corals that form
an integral part of the marine environment,"
Ms Hitch said.
WWF and TRAFFIC released the
report Follow the Leader: learning from experiences
and best practice in regional fisheries management
organisations earlier this year which documented
the different issues that have compromised the
effectiveness of international fisheries management.
"Developing and implementing
a new agreement will take time - moving quickly
to implement strong interim measures is crucial,"
said Ms Hitch.
"The Australian Government
could build on its recent work at the United Nations
General Assembly, which along with Government
of Palau, sought the prohibition on bottom trawling
on the high seas until strong management arrangements
are in place to ensure that the living marine
species and the broader ecosystem are protected.
"This could form the basis
of interim measures for the as yet unregulated
southern Pacific Ocean," Ms Hitch said.
WWF is encouraging the governments
attending the meeting to focus on interim management
measures that are transparent and enforceable.
These will provide crucial breathing space to
review the implications of the proposed convention
and investigate new and innovative responses to
the challenges experienced in other oceans.
Lorraine Hitch, Sustainable Fisheries project
leader
WWF-Australia
