illegal fishing

The Pacific Island Leaders Meeting, known as PALM, is held in Japan every three years.

Japan's government hosts the PALM summits as a way to share its assistance programme with Pacific Island Forum countries.

Ahead of this summit, Tokyo said measures to help Pacific countries enforce maritime law within their maritime jurisdictions would be included in a joint statement for the eighth PALM meeting.

Pacific Island countries struggle to adequately police their exclusive economic zones which have become subject to regular incursions by so-called Vietnamese blue boats.

The destruction of the vessels was ordered by the Bomana District Court after the boats were caught fishing illegally off Budibidi Island, Milne Bay Province, on December 22.

The National Fisheries Authority (NFA) is in charge of the destruction operation, planned to be carried out by the PNGDF Navy's explosive ordinance and diving team.

It’s been over a week since the initial destruction operation failed to push through due to bad weather.

The destruction was organised by the National Fisheries Authority and planned to be carried out by the PNGDF Navy's explosive ordinance and diving team.

They were towed out of Fairfax Harbour on Monday by the PNG Defence Force Navy vessel, HMPNGS Buna, to a sinking site outside Port Moresby.

However, due to bad weather, they were left on a reef off the coast of Fisherman Island.

A team consisting of naval personnel, fisheries officers and external clients, Pacific Towing service, was sent out the next day to do a preliminary assessment of the situation.

A team was sent out on Tuesday and today to continue assessment of the situation.

The vessels were towed out of Fairfax Harbour on Monday by the PNG Defence Force Navy vessel HMPNGS Buna to a sinking site outside Port Moresby. 

However, due to bad weather, they were left on a reef off the coast of Fisherman Island.

The destruction was organised by the National Fisheries Authority and planned to be carried out by the PNGDF Navy's explosive ordinance and diving team.

The Kiribati Fisheries Administrative Penalty Committee imposed the fine for fishing illegally in Kiribati waters.

The vessel is owned by a Taiwanese businessman based in the Marshall Islands.

The Kiribati Police Maritime Unit Superintendent Officer Commanding John Mote told Radio Kiribati News the vessel was fined after being spotted fishing within PIPA waters in 2015 but has since managed to escape arrest.

The vessel was finally apprehended by Kiribati authorities a few weeks ago.

However, concerns have also been raised about law enforcement agencies, including National Fisheries Authority, appearing to have been compromised and cannot discharge their constitutional duties with impartiality.

These were among a number of serious issues raised at an urgent top-level meeting convened by Governor Titus Philemon at his office in Alotau on Tuesday (Jan 11).

“The new management plan has a hierarchal structure that entails authorities at communities, local level government, and provincial level working together to protect this fishery and its ecosystem and ensure its long term survival.

“I call on Ben Micah and Gordon Wesley, my colleagues who have been outspoken on this fishery lately, to help implement this new management plan in their provinces so their people truly get the benefit they deserve.”

He said this during, Parliament session today, when calling for an investigation into alleged collusion between National Fisheries Authority officers and illegal fishing vessels in his province of Milne Bay.

Wesley said the moratorium was not working as many illegal fishing vessels accessed their sea to harvest beche-de-mer.

He said Samaria–Murua had the biggest maritime zone and was used by many locals for economic benefits before the moratorium seven years ago.

Tabloid Jubi reports Royke Lumowa as saying illegal fishing should continue to be a concern for both central and local governments, suggesting that inaction would allow the problem to become rampant.

He said that because the remoteness of West Papua, as well as lack of resources for police to monitor the waters, a lot of illegal fishing went unchecked.

Mr Royke said that to counter illegal fishing, local police needed the help of the Navy, the Marine Department and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, especially in terms of equipment.

Stay away from political impasse, Guinness warns

Northern Divisional Commander Peter Guinness has called on all police personnel in Eastern Highlands to work together as a unit for the betterment of policing in the province.

http://www.looppng.com/content/stay-away-political-impasse-guinness-warns

Toksy released from Bomana