Fishing breach unchecked —campaigner

Press, 16 May 1989, Page 7

Fishing breach unchecked —campaigner

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Wellington

A former New Zealand Navy officer has said the Navy failed to respond to a request to investigate illegal fishing over a seven-month period.

Lieutenant - Commander David Davies, an antiAnzac frigate campaigner, was responding to comments from the Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard. Mr Tizard said the Navy did not act independently in fisheries patrolling but responded to requests from the Ministry of Fisheries. Lieutenant - Commander Davies retired from the Navy in 1982 and worked as Controller of the Fisheries Control Centre at the Ministry. He said that during his time at the Ministry, evidence of suspected illegal

catches of juvenile fish came to hand. For seven months the Navy was asked to send a frigate to investigate. “The answer was ‘No,’ they didn’t have enough ships. They only had four.” Lieutenant - Commander Davies said this was a strong reason not to replace the four existing frigates with new Australian vessels. A bigger fleet of vessels was necessary to patrol fisheries resources. He is an advocate of the Danish patrol and surveillance vessel, now said to be under reconsideration by the Navy. Mr Tizard had suggested there were more effective ways than using frigates to patrol fisheries resources, such as placing observers on joint venture ships.