Sbt And Sharks

[mark_s]

A couple of things that I have come across in the last two days that I thought worth raising in this forum.

Firstly yesterday in the SMH there was an article about the federal government allowing comercial fishing of southern bluefin tuna again. This decision seems insane as SBT have been critically endangered since 1994.

Here is the article:

http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/12/01/1101577556871.html

The other was a story last night on the ABC (Catalyst) about poaching of reef sharks in north Aus by indonesians. They cut the fins off and throw the carcas back. On the show the plane spotted 40 illegal boats working an area near Ashmore reef. The navy caught only two of them. The one they filmed had a large number of sharks, times that by 40 and the numebrs are scary. The reefs that have been targetted for sometime now are totally devoid of sharks. They are taking all forms of shark from the basic reef shark upto the big tigers.

Here is the transcript.

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1256342.htm

Not good news.

[Ken A]

I saw that program on Catylist & thought it was very informative. The way the illegal fishing has devastated the reefs population of sharks was amazing.

Having such a huge coastline makes it very hard to prevent illegal fishing especially when the Navy has to observe the international "nicities" when apprehending illegals.

Its going to be very difficult to stop.

Please note; I never mentioned the 50 calibre Brownings that our patrol boats are equipped with

[Martin]

You know what is really sad, is it is not ground breaking news. Our shark populations have been openly and knowingly harvested and butchered for years for their fins. They cut them off and dump the carcass over the side. Its been filmed many times.

Hold on I have to race off and pay for my recreational fishing licence.

Sad Regards

Martin

[Guest bluecod]

The Navy/Coastal Patrol should start selling toothpicks - if they hit one of those timber fishing boats at 30 knots, they'll have plenty of toothpicks. The other alternative is to declare select areas [at will] bombardment ranges and practise from over the horizon.

It will never happen, as the practise of cutting the fins off sharks is just as barbaric as cutting the roe out of mullet - and the government's of this country license the latter.

[mitch]

The Navy/Coastal Patrol should start selling toothpicks - if they hit one of those timber fishing boats at 30 knots, they'll have plenty of toothpicks.

The only problem is we don't have anything that can go 30 knots

[Guest bluecod]

The only problem is we don't have anything that can go 30 knots

22141[/snapback]

Pathetic isn't it!

[Guest bluecod]

Iain,

Have seen the reef bombing in New Guinea - it gives you the sh*ts, but sometimes it is the only way the villagers can manage to put food on the plate - no social security to fall back on.

Don't think I'm defending the practise, however understand the country's economics, social fabric, practises taught during the war and that the kill is used to feed the village - as a parent I can understand their motives even though their method is crap.Only when they are properly educated will they realise it is not sustainable.

Australia's foreign aid to PNG has been around $200 million a year and the current program will inject $1.1 billion into the economy - most of it is probably destined to go into politicians, senior bureaucrat and "won tok" pockets - bugger all will go into education and simple programs to improve village life.

The pillage and rape of our reefs in the Indian Ocean is completely different and should be met with a good torpedoing.

[Guest Jocool]

Australia's foreign aid to PNG has been around $200 million a year and the current program will inject $1.1 billion into the economy - most of it is probably destined to go into politicians, senior bureaucrat and "won tok" pockets - bugger all will go into education and simple programs to improve village life.

23422[/snapback]

That is an interesting comment considering PNG is the nursery waters for Yellow Fin Tuna. The smaller YFT hatch and grow in the area only to be decimated by the commercial fishery there. It is widely known that the current fisheries minister in PNG is on the take. He has Ex NSW fisheries officers advising and consulting. Thats a joke!

[Guest bluecod]

Fu*%ing joke or not - my brother-in-law who loves fishing and lives in Port Moresby can tell tales of days pre licensing when you could walk onto a reef at low tide and take home a basket of lobster, a year after licensing when the Japs had the rights to fish a particular Strait,and they netted during breeding season, the same reef produced NOTHING. Zilch Zero Zip = starving villagers -= escalating crime.

Don't blame the uneducated - the politicians in PNG mostly have uni degrees from O/S but are too keen on the quick profit from corruption.

BTW a feed of shashimi or lobster from PNG is becomig a rarity. Bugger!

[Edward]

if one person in the village gets a stick of dynamite and brings home 20 fish and people with nets etc come home with 2 fish which method is going to grow quickest??? its all about education.

[Hooch]

The pillage and rape of our reefs in the Indian Ocean is completely different and should be met with a good torpedoing.

23422[/snapback]

Aren't a lot of the Indo fishing villagers living right on the breadline as well? I know I saw a doco about some of them, it didn't go into detail over the fishing offences, basically crossing into the wrong demarcation zone, which they reckon they couldnt exactly tell as they had no gps (not entirely convinced over that but anyway), if they're caught the boat is confiscated and they spend a few years in indeifinite detention in a reffo camp for some reason or another i cant remember.

Dunno if these are the same blokes who are killing the sharks, or if there are pro fishing pirates like those urugyan guys, but it didn't seem like these guys had much to fall back on either.