Saving Seafood

Blitz at sea: Boats burnt, crews escape sanction as illegal fishing off WA skyrockets

November 12, 2021 — The joint ‘Marine Border Command’ operation was announced after the ABF was alerted last month that Indonesian fishing crews were pillaging marine life at the pristine, previously untouched Rowley Shoals, a protected coral reef 260 kilometres west of Broome.

Their presence and aggressive tactics left local charter tour companies in WA’s North West fearful for their safety and livid at the lack of authoritative response.

Exclusive drone footage obtained by WAtoday showed an influx of foreign ships in the sanctioned Rowley Shoals marine park zone, their crew members walking on the coral reef and fishing illegally.

Local boat skippers said it was the first time they had seen Indonesian crews at Rowley Shoals, as new data above showed 103 vessels were intercepted in the first three months of 2020-21 alone.

One tourist operator reported illegal finning in the area, with sharks spotted still alive, lying on the water’s surface, while another charter boat skipper saw Indonesian-marked plastic rubbish for the first time within the sanctioned marine park.

Read the full story at News Nation USA

 

Huon Aquaculture shareholders approve JBS takeover

November 1, 2021 — Huon Aquaculture shareholders have approved a takeover bid by JBS Australia, a subsidiary of Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS.

At a 29 October company meeting, Huon shareholders offered more than 90 percent support to concurrent acquisition proposals put forth by JBS, which has agreed to pay AUD 3.85 (USD 2.82, EUR 2.39) per Huon share, a transaction worth around AUD 425 million (USD 313.5 million, EUR 266.1 million).

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Cooke reveals interest in Huon, setting up fight with JBS

August 19, 2021 — Cooke Aquaculture has confirmed its interest in purchasing Tasmania, Australia-based salmon-farming firm Huon Aquaculture, in the midst of a takeover bid from Brazilian meat processing giant JBS.

However, JBS has run into difficulty in the form of activist investor Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, who has used his minority interest in Huon to push for increased environmental standards. In response, JBS issued a parallel bid for control of the company that seeks a 50.1 percent minimum acceptance condition. In a notice filed with the Australian Stock Exchange on 17 August, Huon announced JBS had upped its ownership to 40.53 percent of the voting power of the company.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Australia’s “Operation Jawline” intercepts 19 Indonesian vessels suspected of IUU

June 11, 2021 — Australian maritime operatives intercepted 19 Indonesian vessels in a two-week period in May through “Operation Jawline,” an operation coordinated by the Maritime Border Command (MBC) – a joint agency task force within the Australian Border Force (ABF) – with close involvement from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

The vessels were all believed to be illegally fishing in Australia’s Northern waters.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Fishery consultant claims MSC reputation damaged in Australia after roughy certification failure

May 14, 2021 — An Australian fishery consultancy, which has taken a financial hit from the fallout of the failed Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of the orange roughy fishery, claims the MSC’s reputation may be damaged in the country by the certification’s failure.

“Just as MSC was about to take a step forward in Australia it takes several backwards and will become less relevant,” Simon Boag, a fisheries advisor at Australian-based Atlantis Fisheries Consulting Group – which was engaged by a number of orange roughy east quota owners to seek MSC accreditation – said.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Second attempt at orange roughy MSC certification denied

April 13, 2021 — A second attempt by Australia’s orange roughy fishery certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard has been thrown out by an independent adjudicator.

The decision puts to rest a fight between WWF and the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) over the certification of the orange roughy fishery, a species considered endangered, threatened, and protected under Australian law.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: FishOn: Flesh-eating bacteria invades coast

April 6, 2021 — We here at FishOn have always fared better when we’ve lived along a coast somewhere. It probably started at birth (San Diego. Go Padres). But to this day, we get more than 50 miles inland and the whole world seems to be closing in like a fallen tent.

Still, every now and then we come across an item that makes us reconsider the attraction. Let’s go to Sorrento, Australia, for the most recent example.

According to a stomach-churning story in the New York Times, a stretch of the southeastern Australian coastline around Sorrento has become ground zero for a species of flesh-eating bacteria called the Buruli ulcer.

“Buruli ulcer has been reported in 33 countries, primarily in Africa, where a lack of access to health care can mean cases go on for months, sometimes resulting in disfigurement and disability,” the piece stated. “In Australia, where cases of the ulcer have been reported since the 1940s, the recent increase in infections has brought new attention to the neglected disease. That, along with a growing global interest in infectious diseases, has raised hopes that scientists might finally have the resources to crack its code.”

Excellent. CSI Buruli is on the case.

Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times

Pacific Island Nations Wary of Chinese Fishing Fleets

December 21, 2020 — Long a topic discussed in connection with the South China Sea, illegal Chinese fishing vessels are of increasing concern for Pacific Island nations.

As recently as early this week, the archipelago nation of Palau, east of the Philippines and north of New Guinea, announced that it had intercepted and detained a Chinese fishing vessel and six smaller boats in its territorial waters after it was confirmed the vessel had entered unlawfully and was illegally fishing sea cucumber.

The fishing vessel was apprehended in Helen Reef, Palau’s most southernmost region, by a Guardian-class patrol boat that Australia had delivered to Palau in September.

“They did have sea cucumber on there… it’s estimated about 500 pounds (225 kilograms),” Victor Remengesau, director of Palau’s division of marine law and enforcement, told reporters. “It’s unlawful entry. We may care about COVID and the spread of COVID, but we can’t just let people do whatever they want, and disguise [illegal activity].”

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Australia deploys new underwater technology to fight illegal fishing

November 23, 2020 — Australia has deployed a new underwater technology across the Torres Strait aimed at combating illegal foreign fishing, according to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.

The Maritime Border Command (MBC), an agency within the Australian Border Force (ABF), was in charge of deploying the technology in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organizations (CSIRO), which developed the new hydrophones. The hydrophones are capable of detecting and logging vessel sounds, which can differentiate between different kinds of vessel activities.

Read the full story at Seafood Source