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The Australian Fisheries
Management Authority (AFMA) has charged five foreign nationals with
illegal fishing following the seizure of the Uruguayan-flagged vessel
Viarsa 1.
Four are senior crew
members of the Viarsa 1. They are the 58-year-old Uruguayan
skipper, three Spanish nationals aged 43, 40 and 38, and a 44-year-old man
from Chile. The fifth person has been identified as a crewmember from a
vessel previously apprehended in the Australian Fishing Zone.
All have been charged with
offences under Sections 100 and 101of Australia’s Fisheries Management
Act 1991.
They are due to face Perth
Court of Petty Sessions today.
An AFMA spokesperson said
the Authority would allege that the Viarsa 1 had illegally fished for
Patagonian toothfish within Australia’s exclusive economic zone
surrounding the Heard Island and McDonald Islands territories.
He said the charges
followed an investigation by Fisheries officers which commenced when the
Viarsa 1 arrived in Fremantle on 3 October following a marathon
sea chase by the Australian Customs and Fisheries patrol vessel
Southern Supporter.
The chase began inside the
Australian Fishing Zone on 7 August and ended 3,900 nautical miles later
when Australian Fisheries officers, assisted by South African and UK
authorities, boarded the Viarsa 1 in the South Atlantic Ocean on
28 August.
The AFMA spokesperson said
the Viarsa 1’s catch of Patagonian toothfish had been offloaded
earlier this week and would now be sold by tender with the monies held in
trust until the conclusion of any legal proceedings.
“The vessel, its catch and
equipment were formally seized by AFMA last week under the provisions of
the Fisheries Management Act.”
ENDS/10 October 2003
For interviews,
please contact:
Contact: Simon
Latimer/Tamsin Allen
AFMA Communications
(02) 6272 4844 (office)
0409 567 424 (mobile)
The Australian Fisheries
Management Authority (AFMA) is the agency responsible for ensuring the
sustainable use and efficient management of Commonwealth fisheries
resources on behalf of the Australian community. AFMA manages fisheries
within the 200 nautical mile Australian Fishing Zone.
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