Two Spanish vessels using gillnets in waters between Australia and New Zealand threaten endangered deepwater sharp stocks, according to those nations, and the practice will be discussed with the European Union.
Gillnet fishing is not formally forbidden in these high seas – waters outside the 200-mile Economic Zones – but Australian and New Zealand officials point out that there are measures in other parts of the world to that end, e.g. a ban against using gillnets in waters deeper than 200 metres in the North East Atlantic.
The Australian Fisheries Minister Tony Burke has told Australian Television that officials will raise with European representatives the issue of the Spanish gillnetters at a meeting of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) in Auckland, New Zealand, next week.
The SPRFMO hopes to establish a legally-binding body that would have control over the high seas areas of the South Pacific ocean from the most eastern part of the South Indian Ocean through the Pacific towards the Exclusive Economic Zones of South America.
This kind of gillnet fishing, targeting sharks for their meat and for liver oil which is used around the world in cosmetics, is not unique to the South Pacific. One vessel recently landed 56,000 litres of shark oil at the South African port of Cape Town. The oil from the deepwater dogfish, a species especially threatened in the eaters between Australia and New Zealand, is particularly highly prized.
“There are mechanics to deal with these issues and we will work through official channels. The key issue here is the proper management of the high seas,” a spokesman for the New Zealand Minister of Fisheries told Australian television referring to the upcoming meeting with EU officials.
The Australian branch of the environmental TRAFFIC organisation has called for European action to deal with the issue of gillnet fishing in the high seas.
“The European Union should take responsibility for these Spanish vessels and ensure they are only allowed to fish in areas with a gear type if they can demonstrate sustainable fishing”, said TRAFFIC global marine program leader Glenn Sant.