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Paris – The Ministers of the High Seas Task
Force on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing today released their
report, Closing the Net, which proposes solutions to the global problem of
illegal fishing on the high seas.
The High Seas Task Force (task force) has
worked for more than two years on recommendations to prevent and eliminate
illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and is comprised of
fisheries ministers from Australia, Canada, Chile, Namibia, New Zealand,
and the United Kingdom and three international conservation groups.
“We applaud the task force for their hard work
on this serious issue,” said Gerald Leape, Vice President, Marine Program,
National Environmental Trust. “Illegal fishing has been devastating to
global fish populations and must be stopped. We look forward to working
with the task force members to gain acceptance of the recommended action
items at all upcoming fisheries treaties.”
The task force identified six priority areas
for immediate action: strengthen the international monitoring, control,
and surveillance network; establish a global information system on
high-seas fishing boats; promote broader participation in multilateral
treaties governing oceans and fishing; promote better high-seas
governance; adopt and promote guidelines on flag state performance; and
support greater use of port and trade measures.
One fish that could benefit from this news is
the Patagonian or Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus Eleginoides), known in
the United States as Chilean Sea Bass. It became popular only ten years
ago, but now suffers from acute over-fishing by pirate poachers in the
remote waters near Antarctica, and is on the verge of collapse.
“Chilean Sea Bass is being fished right out of
the water by unscrupulous pirate fishers,” said Mark Stevens, Take a Pass
on Chilean Sea Bass Campaign Manager, National Environmental Trust. “The
port and trade measures recommended by this task force can help close
markets to Chilean Sea Bass, and other illegally-caught fish, removing the
profit motive to fish these species to commercial extinction.”
National Environmental
Trust launched the ‘Take a Pass’ campaign in February 2002 with
restaurants in San Francisco pledging not to serve Chilean Sea Bass until
proper regulations are in place to ensure its survival in the future.
These chefs were then joined by nearly 1,000 top restaurants across the
country that also committed to “Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass.” The
national campaign now covers the United States’ major food and dining
markets, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Los Angeles and
New York City.
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For more information:
www.net.org/marine/csb/ and
www.high-seas.org
Contact:
Sarah
sbruchmann@net.org
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