Supertrawler Stopped

[Milan]

"At 3am, activists put a chain around the ship’s propeller and two climbers are currently hanging on the cables between the ship and the quay, to prevent the ship from beginning its journey to Tasmania. If approved, the super trawler will begin fishing in Australian waters as early as August, under a partnership between Seafish Tasmania and a massive Dutch fishing operation."

“The obscene irony of this arrangement is that Seafish will export its catch right back to Africa where their ability to catch fish for themselves has been taken away by ships like the Margiris.â€

/>http://blog.spearfishing.com.au/super-trawler-stopped-by-greenpeace/

[Dinodadog]

According to the red head a couple of days ago in parliment she said the government have not received any application from these people, she also added as well that it doesnt matter what size the boat is the same catch rate applies.

Dino

[Do$tylz]

just wondering.. are we being sucked into media hype? I know this is the biggest trawler and all... but if they're catching a qouta that has been ok'd...??

is the qouta too much?

are their methods actually destructive and thoughtless?

other than "it's massive" and will catch lots of fish... what are we really hating on?

[Gad]

Taken from Fishing World Email Newsletter

Mounting opposition to super trawler visit

28 Jun 2012

ACCORDING to news reports this week plans to bring the world's second largest super trawler the FV Margiris into Australia appear to have stalled - in more ways than one.

In an ABC news report the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has not received an application for the monster trawler to operate in commonwealth waters around Tasmania.

Acting head of AFMA Nick Rayns told ABC Local Radio that if the company applied to operate the ship, it would take several weeks for the approval process.

"That would be subject to all the normal conditions and requirements of a fishing vessel operating in Australian waters, including the use of mitigation devices to prevent seals and so forth being caught, and also will carry an AFMA observer on board to make sure that all actions of the vessel are done legally and legitimately," he said.

The mackerel and red bait quota limits for Seafish Tasmania have been raised to 18,000 tonnes, sparking community concerns about overfishing.

In Parliament this week, Independent Andrew Wilkie urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to reconsider letting the FV Magiris into Australian waters.

The Prime Minister says approval had not been given for the ship to enter Australia.

"Unless the regulator can be absolutely certain that that vessel will operate in a genuinely sensible and sustainable way, it should not be allowed into Australian waters," Wilkie told ABC radio.

"It is not in our national interest. I don't think it's in the interest of Australia's very important fishing industry."

Rec fisherman Nobby Clark of the Tuna Club of Tasmania says it is strange that it has not been filed.

"They've spent an awful amount of money getting the ship re-flagged and also reset up to fish our waters, yet still there's no approval from the governing body AFMA for them to operate in our waters," he told the ABC.

"So that's probably a big question that we've been asking from the start."

Seafish says it is confident it will be granted approval.

It says its portion of the AFMA quota is estimated to be about 5 per cent of the total small pelagic fishery. The company says there will be observers monitoring its operation.

In what appears to be a major blow to Seafish's plans, it has just been reported that Greenpeace has mounted an attack on the FV Margiris to prevent it visiting Australian Waters. The environmental group says its climbers and divers have sabotaged the 140 metre super trawler in the Dutch port of IJmuiden. Activists reportedly put a chain around the ship's propeller and installed themselves on the cables between the ship and the quay in the early morning attack on Thursday.

In related news a spokesman for the "Stop the FV Margiris" petition today told Fisho the protest website has received large public support during the week with signed petitions currently nearing the 11,000 mark.

[Milan]

just wondering.. are we being sucked into media hype? I know this is the biggest trawler and all... but if they're catching a qouta that has been ok'd...??

is the qouta too much?

are their methods actually destructive and thoughtless?

other than "it's massive" and will catch lots of fish... what are we really hating on?

I'm not much of a "greenie" and agree with you on the quota issue. However can you imagine the By-catch from such a massive net and even if those quota's are adhered to whats the Mortality rate of those fish thrown back?

[ellicat]

Milan, I suggest that the answer to your questions would be the same quantum for both this trawler or the 6, 8, or 10 trawlers it replaces. I'm sure this one would have a smaller carbon footprint than the number of ships it would replace

Oh, and while we are at it I would not care if the pirates are KIA.

Gary C, In your perfect Government Section 1, Para 1, whose rights would be getting hindered here ? The green imbeciles' or the ship's ? (That is why a Bill of Rights is a stupid proposition for Australia)

[bootyinblue]

There is a right and a wrong way to do things and get your message across. Sabotage (even if you are wearing a koala suit) does not get any respect from me or most level headed Australians so the quicker Greenpeace and like organisations self combust the better.

[jeff f]

so someone has found a use for greenies... fenders... ba ha ha ha

i love jack daniels

[fishingnut]

[Gary_C]

Gary C, In your perfect Government Section 1, Para 1, whose rights would be getting hindered here ? The green imbeciles' or the ship's ? (That is why a Bill of Rights is a stupid proposition for Australia)

Lol.

Thankfully, I am not trapped in a Disney movie and I do believe that fish are food not friends.

Under Section 1, Para 1, of my preferred government, the greenies who sabotaged the boat should be held responsible and pay damages if a court finds them responsible. From an Australian centric economic standpoint, are there no Australian trawlers? Where is the sense when a temporary resident cannot start a business unless they have an Australian director, but a foreign trawler can take the entire 18,000 ton quota for those waters?

While I understand everybody's point regarding the quota as being the most important number, I would rather see 18 ships with 1,000 tons each because they are going to have less of an indirect impact through by-catch.

(If I have 100 blue marbles, I can easily pick out the 3 green ones. If I have 100,000 blue marbles, finding the 3,000 green ones is not so easy).

[bootyinblue]

Gary C, In your perfect Government Section 1, Para 1, whose rights would be getting hindered here ? The green imbeciles' or the ship's ? (That is why a Bill of Rights is a stupid proposition for Australia)

Lol.

Thankfully, I am not trapped in a Disney movie and I do believe that fish are food not friends.

Under Section 1, Para 1, of my preferred government, the greenies who sabotaged the boat should be held responsible and pay damages if a court finds them responsible. From an Australian centric economic standpoint, are there no Australian trawlers? Where is the sense when a temporary resident cannot start a business unless they have an Australian director, but a foreign trawler can take the entire 18,000 ton quota for those waters?

While I understand everybody's point regarding the quota as being the most important number, I would rather see 18 ships with 1,000 tons each because they are going to have less of an indirect impact.

Is there any fact behind this?

[ellicat]

YEs Greg, that is what I'd like to know. I'd have thought the opposite.

[Gary_C]

Gary C, In your perfect Government Section 1, Para 1, whose rights would be getting hindered here ? The green imbeciles' or the ship's ? (That is why a Bill of Rights is a stupid proposition for Australia)

Lol.

Thankfully, I am not trapped in a Disney movie and I do believe that fish are food not friends.

Under Section 1, Para 1, of my preferred government, the greenies who sabotaged the boat should be held responsible and pay damages if a court finds them responsible. From an Australian centric economic standpoint, are there no Australian trawlers? Where is the sense when a temporary resident cannot start a business unless they have an Australian director, but a foreign trawler can take the entire 18,000 ton quota for those waters?

While I understand everybody's point regarding the quota as being the most important number, I would rather see 18 ships with 1,000 tons each because they are going to have less of an indirect impact.

Is there any fact behind this?

Very fair point.

I do not have any support for this in regards to fishing vessels. The studies I can link are all along the lines of human observation and probabilities of overlooking a key element as the number of items increase. I based the above assertion on those studies.

[aussie123]

If you look at the offshore trawl fishery in NSW every boat has been heavily restricted by the use of engine units,hull units and net units.

No trawler in NSW is allowed to be bigger than 60ft yet they allow a boat of this size and capability to come in and clean things up.

By-catch will be absolutely horrendous with this style of trawling unless they are going to use a ring/sein net type of setup.

There is no media hype with this vessel,if you knew and understood the trawl industry and how it works you can understand the massive destruction this one vessel will cause.

That is the same reason this exact ship has already been banned from entering many countries and fishing many oceans.

Anyone who has spent any amount of time at sea who relies on slimies and yakkas for bait over recent years since the introduction of SBT quotas will have noticed the massive decline in bait numbers from a small fleet of local tuna boats.

This vessel will have a ten fold effect on bait populations along the Eastern Seaboard and that will in turn have a massive impact on pelagic species.

The good thing so far is they have not been granted a fishing licence so lets hope the government wakes up and stops this from happening.

I find it quite bizarre that they lock up the ocean to protect of fisheries but then allow this to happen.

[tugger]

No one has mentioned wether this vessel would operate with australians onboard or foreign seafarers which is more than likely which would concern me as well, imo i would rather see smaller australian boats doing the job who would care more about our fishery and put their money back into our country

[aussie123]

Its all foreign crew Mark except for one Australian observer.

Only money Aust will get is the cold storage fees in Tasmania as far as I understand with the deal.

Something else most people do not understand is the nets on these vessels do not have Fish Excluders fitted so everything and anything that goes down that net dies.

NSW trawlers must use excluders by law in all trawl nets and there is massive fines for not using them or installing them properly.

They are regularly checked and measured on a regular basis and sometimes even while at sea working.

[tugger]

If thats the case i do have big concerns for this ship here

Its all foreign crew Mark except for one Australian observer.

Only money Aust will get is the cold storage fees in Tasmania as far as I understand with the deal.

Something else most people do not understand is the nets on these vessels do not have Fish Excluders fitted so everything and anything that goes down that net dies.

NSW trawlers must use excluders by law in all trawl nets and there is massive fines for not using them or installing them properly.

They are regularly checked and measured on a regular basis and sometimes even while at sea working.

[Gad]

If thats the case i do have big concerns for this ship here

Its all foreign crew Mark except for one Australian observer.

Only money Aust will get is the cold storage fees in Tasmania as far as I understand with the deal.

Something else most people do not understand is the nets on these vessels do not have Fish Excluders fitted so everything and anything that goes down that net dies.

NSW trawlers must use excluders by law in all trawl nets and there is massive fines for not using them or installing them properly.

They are regularly checked and measured on a regular basis and sometimes even while at sea working.

/>http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/environment/supertrawler-causes-debate-over-sustainability/2585358.aspx?storypage=3

The vessel requires a crew of 46, around 40 of which could be recruited from Tasmania

The Maritime Union of Australia said the move would help keep Tasmania's seafaring industry ``alive and well''.

Deputy MUA Tasmanian branch secretary Ian Hill said the MUA would meet with SeaFish Tasmania to discuss potential employment.

[Do$tylz]

Thanks Lance. That's the sort of info that isn't published through standard media.

So what if they were to use those precautions and methods to reduce bycatch? what if they were to use local employees?

So they're chasing slimies and rad bait?? what's redbait? and what is the current qouta for slimies?? and is this super trawler going to be taking above this qouta? or are they applying for a higher limit for them to fish?

what are the local trawlermen saying about this?

[darcy]

what rapists should have blown the thing up stopped it for good lol