of Sharks and dried Shark fin
14 March 2009
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has seized the Chien Jui
No 102, a Taiwanese flagged vessel, after tons of sharks and dried shark fins
were confiscated by departmental fishery control inspectors. The vessel is
alleged to have provided false information in its application for an Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) permit. The EEZ permit allows foreign fishing vessels to
enter our waters and ports with its fishing catch and fishing gear, subject to
permit conditions. The EEZ of South Africa is a 200 nautical mile (370km)
extension of its land territory out into sea.
In its EEZ application, Chien Jui No 102 declared 100kg of shark fins.
However, inspectors confiscated more than 1.6 tons of dried shark fins from the
vessel, the biggest alleged illegal consignment during recent years. This
amount of dried shark fin suggests that at least 30 tons of sharks were caught.
During the discharge process earlier today, Saturday 14 March 2009, a total of
5,1 tons shark trunks were off loaded. The Chien Jui No 102 permit application
declared that 2,2 tons of sharks were onboard the vessel.
In addition, the Chien Jui No 102 has contravened international fishing
conservation measures, as set out by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)
and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
(ICCAT), which prescribe that shark fins onboard fishing vessels should not
exceed five percent of the weight of shark trunks onboard the same vessel, up
to the point of landing. Fishing vessels are prohibited from retaining on
board, transhipping or landing any fins harvested in contravention of these
measures.
IOTC and ICCAT are international regional fishery organisations created by
international agreements and provide frameworks within which governments agree
on ways of managing the fish resources of the open seas. The open seas (high
seas) fall outside the jurisdiction of individual states. These organisations
play a key role in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and
destructive fishing practices. They further issue recommendations on the
management and conservation measures based on the best scientific advice
available, which must be implemented by all members. South Africa is a member
state.
The Chien Jui No 102 applied to amend the permit after the discrepancy was
discovered in relation to its catch on board the vessel. The South Africa based
representatives for the owner of the Chien Jui No 102, Feike Natural Resource
Management Advisers, communicated to the department on behalf of their client
that âthe delay in applying for the amended EEZ permit was due to a
misunderstanding as to when the amended permit ought to be applied for.â
The department is in the process of finalising its charges against the Chien
Jui No 102. The vessel will remain in the Cape Town harbour until the
finalisation of the case. The vessel, Chien Jui No 102, will be black-listed on
the Illegal, Unregulated Unreported (IUU) fishing list of vessels involved in
illegal fishing practice.
Shark fining is fuelled by big profit margins with shark fins estimated to
fetch between US and 400 to 700 per kilogram.
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
14 March 2009
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.deat.gov.za)
