The international industry group representing the
world’s legal toothfish operators COLTO (Coalition of Legal Toothfish
Operators) has written to the Director of Uruguayan Fisheries ( DINARA) to
raise its concern about statements he has been reported making about COLTO
to a parliamentary inquiry investigating the Viarsa 1 incident.
In the letter to Captain Yamandu Flangini, COLTO said
media reports of his testimony to the Uruguayan Deputies International
Affairs Committee, gave the impression he may have been given misleading
information about the COLTO organization.
To avoid further misunderstanding, COLTO has suggested
to Captain Flangini that it would be happy to answer any questions he or
the committee may have on COLTO and its aims and membership.
COLTO representative, Martin Exel, said he would also
give Captain Flangini and the committee information and background that
COLTO has in relation to boats with licenses from Uruguay such as the
Viarsa 1.
“ COLTO is also more than happy to pass on information
on the company Navalmar S.A. that COLTO understands was registered as
holding the Uruguayan license for the Viarsa 1.”
Mr. Exel said information that COLTO has received from
its growing intelligence base around the world, has revealed that Navalmar
S.A. is the same company who hold or held Uruguay licenses for the now
infamous boats the “ Dorita’ (also known as Nova Tuna 1 and the “ Arvisa”
(also known as Kambott, aka Eternal until caught illegally fishing by the
French authorities.
The letter also responded to some specific claims
including allegations that COLTO was an organization of Commonwealth
countries interested in preserving toothfish for their own fishing
interests.
COLTO currently has 30 member companies and they come
from countries including Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, South Africa, Namibia
and Falklands-Malvinas.
“Quite clearly COLTO is not a Commonwealth
organization, “ Mr. Exel said.
“Claims that COLTO is preserving this resource for
those countries are patently incorrect.
“One of COLTO’s major objectives is to stop any
toothfish being taken illegally before unscrupulous operators put all
members out of business and decimate toothfish stocks.”
Mr. Exel said that COLTO shared the concern of DINARA
at the apparent ease of Uruguayan licensed vessels to tamper with
satellite vessel monitoring systems.
COLTO has previously raised this concern publicly (
media statement 14/8/2003 Was the Uruguayan Government Tricked? COLTO
alleges toothfish pirates falsify satellite vessel monitoring systems see
at
www.colto.org )
‘If it is true that the Viarsa owners and operators
have been falsifying satellite position reports to the Uruguayan
Government this would have major ramifications not just for the Government
but for the whole system of monitoring used.
The Viarsa 1
is due in the port of Fremantle in Western Australia tomorrow (Oct 3) to
face charges that it was allegedly fishing for Patagonian toothfish in
Australian territorial waters around Heard and McDonald Islands (HIMI).
