Get tough on overfishing: PM
But Martin balks at calling for custodial management outside 200-mile Limit
By Shawna Richer
St. John's - Prime Minister Paul Martin called yesterday for tougher punishment for foreign overfishing but stopped short of pledging to adopt custodial management outside the 200-mile limit.
"For fishing fleets that break the rules, we need real sanctions with real bite," he said in a speech. "Unfortunately, illegal fishing occurs because the profits far outweigh the penalties. Giving violators a mere slap on the wrist and sending them back to their home port isn't good enough.
"Too often, fines for breaking rules are seen as just another cost of doing business. This is unacceptable. We need to put good before greed and stop pretending that certain nations aren't breaking the rules and instead put in place tough sanctions for those who do."
Mr. Martin was in St. John's to address the opening of an international fisheries conference, with delegates from 48 countries, aimed at combatting global overfishing and illegal and unregulated fishing.
Earlier in the evening, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams made a call for custodial management that would allow Canada to take control of the area outside the 200-mile limit to catch and prosecute offenders.
"Unless the Prime Minister of Canada takes the issue seriously, for the rest of our lives we'll just be blowing in the wind," echoed Newfoundland MP and Federal Natural Resources Minister John Efford.
"When the provincial government and the federal government all say the same thing, this is indeed a serious issue," Mr. Martin said. "Overfishing takes an environmental toll. But make no mistake, it takes an economic toll of staggering proportions. Worst of all, it takes a human toll. This cannot go on. We cannot allow it to go on.
"It is unconscionable that, given the perilous state of our fisheries, overfishing continues off the nose and tail of the Grand Banks by foreign fleets," Mr. Martin said. "My government will not stand by and watch it happen."
Although the speech was passionate and thoughtful, it fell short of pledging to bring in custodial management, which many say is the best answer to the problem.
According to the United Nations, more than half the world's fisheries are fully exploited; a quarter are overexploited, depleted or barely recovering; and a third of the world's catch comes from illegal or unregulated fishing.
Since the collapse of the Newfoundland cod stocks in 1992, commercial catches have fallen by 36 per cent in Canada and 20 per cent in the European Union.
"Experts the world over agree that this desperate state is one of the major environmental crises facing us today," Mr. Martin said. "Countless stocks have fallen to historic lows. Some are being quickly driven to the brink of extinction. And it's becoming more and more difficult for our fishers to make a living from the ocean."
Last week Federal Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan announced $20-million would be spent over three years to fight illegal fishing.
Just a few days earlier, not far from the conference site the Portuguese trawler Aveirense was held in St. John' s Harbour by angry crab fishermen.
A year ago, the Canadian navy, in a high-profile attempt to crack down on illegal fishing off the Grand Banks , raided the Aveirense on orders of Mr. Regan. The ship received several citations from Canadian inspectors who said they found moratorium species on board. But the follow-up investigation by the European Union never resulted in charges.
See also:
Canada Faces Implementation of the United Nations Fish Agreement
http://www.nafo.ca/Info/News/Others
/canadafaces.html
Backgrounder on the United Nations Fish Agreement
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fgc-cgp/m_unfa_e.htm
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