Govts plan drift net convention

Press, 22 August 1989, Page 8

Govts plan drift net convention

PA Wellington South Pacific Governments will draft a convention to ban drift-net fishing in the region at a meeting in Wellington. The Prime Minister, Mr Palmer said yesterday. The Cabinet had authorised the adoption of a convention and a comprehensive management regime for ocean resources. Mr Palmer’s office said the meeting was scheduled for November. Meetings to organise it will start soon. The Cabinet decision follows initiatives at the South Pacific Forum meeting in July when 15 Governments agreed to take common measures to outlaw drift-nets, used by Japanese and Taiwanese fleets. The first step will be the convention, drawn up by Government representatives and legal and fisheries experts. The Governments fear that the “wall of death” nets, which stretch up to 60km, could seriously deplete albacore tuna stocks in the South Pacific within two years. The catch is vital to

fragile island economies. The Japanese and Taiwanese Governments have been accused of ignoring appeals not to fish out tuna altogether. The New Zealand and Australian Governments led the initiative at the forum in Kiribati, pledging to do all they could to stop the drift-netters. The convention will specify those measures and bind the signatories to them. Japan has refused to reduce its drift-net fishing, maintaining that it needs more research before the threat to tuna stocks is established. That could take two years. The South Pacific Governments fear that by then the damage to stocks could be irreparable. The forum Governments hope their convention will eventually become a global accord to stop drift-netting. They already have the support of some large Western Governments and are trying to get wider approval. Mr Palmer is expected to take a strong stand against drift-netting when he addresses the United Nations in October.