Wellington - A ship which docked in a New Zealand port with
fish caught illegally in Antarctic waters could be banned by 34
countries after losing a court bid to keep its actions secret, it was
announced on Tuesday.
A New Zealand government statement said that the Paloma V would be
reported to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine
Living Resources (CCAMLR) and could be blacklisted by all its 34
members.
Court records show the ship docked at Auckland on May 16 with 98
tons of Antarctic toothfish and Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said
information was found linking it to illegal, unreported and
unregulated fishing.
'The boat's computer records revealed that it had contact with
known illegal fishing vessels and had resupplied them at sea,' he
said.
The Paloma V's owners, Omunkete Fishing (Pty) Ltd, asked the High
Court to stop the government from notifying CCAMLR and seeking its
blacklisting.
The records show that the boat, which flies the Namibia flag, is a
Uruguay joint venture of Mabenal SA and Gongola Fishing (Pty) Limited
and controlled by a Spanish company, Vidal Armadones.
New Zealand authorities were unable to detain the ship, which
sailed for Namibia with its cargo on May 24, but the High Court threw
out the owners bid for secrecy on Tuesday.
Anderton said the recommendation to blacklist Paloma V would now
be considered at CCAMLR's annual meeting in October.
'We need to stamp out illegal, unreported and unregulated
fishing,' Anderton said. 'It is wreaking havoc with fish stock
sustainability and damaging the environment.'
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