Tizard accepts limitation of frigates

Press, 11 May 1989, Page 7

Tizard accepts limitation of frigates

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

The Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard, said yesterday that smaller ships might be better than using frigates for fisheries protection work. He was responding to claims by a Just Defence spokesman, Mr Kevin Hackwell, who said the Navy was doing a shoddy job of fisheries resource protection. Mr Hackwell had said less than 5 per cent of the time of the existing frigates was spent on fisheries protection work, and virtually none took place in the rich fishing grounds off the South Island. "I would concede Mr Hackwell’s point that frequent patrolling in the exclusive economic zone by smaller ships might be better than employing frigates,” Mr Tizard said. “But to argue from that point that the Anzac frigates were not necessary displays a seriously

flawed line of reasoning and ignores the fact that the frigates have a multipurpose role.” He said fisheries protection work was only a small part of the job of the existing frigates and their replacements. The prime purpose was to act as a blue-water navy in the Pacificjwork

in with Australia, meet defence responsibilities, and be prepared for lowlevel risk contingencies.

Mr Tizard said there were more effective methods of carrying out fisheries protection work than by simply patrolling the exclusive economic zone with frigates. Observers were placed on joint-venture ships and much work was done when catches were landed, such as checking net sizes.

The Navy did not act independently in fisheries patrolling, but responded to requests from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

“Thus the amount of time spent patrolling by the Navy was governed by the demands set by M.A.F.,” Mr Tizard said. The Navy’s prime concern was the broader aspects of resource protection, particularly in the South Pacific, he said.