CONAKRY, April 9 (ANA) – Shark fins have been discovered on two Chinese fishing vessels during a joint surveillance exercise conducted by Greenpeace and the Guinean fisheries authorities, Greenpeace said on Sunday.
One of the vessels also had illegally altered fishing nets on board, while a third Chinese vessel was caught using illegal nets and fishing for species outside of its license conditions, the environmental protection organisation said in a statement.
The two vessels with shark fins on board had been fined EU250,000 each, while the third vessel had been fined EU350,000. The catch of all the vessels had been seized by Guinean authorities.
Apart from the shark fins, Greenpeace also found numerous carcasses of sharks including hammerhead sharks, an endangered species, and manta rays on board several vessels, Greenpeace said.
“What we’re seeing here is an utter lack of respect for West African fishing laws. It also shows that local laws need to be strengthened to meet international standards where endangered sharks are no longer a legal catch. That is why we are recommending that coastal states improve their monitoring capacity and local legislation to protect marine life and livelihoods of local fishing communities,” Greenpeace Africa oceans campaigner Ahmed Diame said in the statement.
In total, Greenpeace and local officials inspected and boarded 12 vessels during their joint surveillance this past week. These included nine Chinese vessels, one Korean vessel, and two Guinean-flagged vessels.
In one of the Chinese vessels, a letter was found issued by China’s distant water fishing association on March 10 and reminding Chinese fishing vessels to fish legally and to be co-operative with authorities’ inspections, the Greenpeace statement said.
“We thought the letter would have deterred Chinese fishing vessels from illegal activities during the period of the joint patrols, but apparently this was not the case,” campaign leader on board the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza Pavel Klinckhamers said.
“Several fishing vessels belonging to Chinese companies continued their illegal fishing practices despite the warning. This shows the complete disregard of local laws by these companies, while they should behave as responsible guests in these waters,” Klinckhamers said.
Currently 41 demersal and pelagic vessels were licenced to operate in Guinean waters. Eighty-five percent were Chinese-owned.
“Greenpeace is demanding that West African governments take responsibility and work together to manage both foreign and local fishing activities in their waters so resources can be distributed fairly and sustainably, and a prosperous future for local communities and people living along the shores of West Africa can be safeguarded,” Greenpeace said.
The fishing vessels fined were the Lian Run 34, found with shark fins on board on March 31. Aerial photos showed shark fins on the rooftop of the Lian Run 47. Inspections on April 4 uncovered shark fins hidden between crates on the ship, ass well as non-authorised net adjustments.
Both ships were owned by Dalian Lian Run Pelagic Fishery Company Ltd, one of China’s largest distant water fishing companies. Guinean authorities confiscated both ships’ fishing licenses, the captains’ passports, and other navigation documents.
The Fu Yuan Yu 379 was inspected on April 2. Inspectors found it had illegal adjusted nets. Inspectors also uncovered 30 bags of shark carcasses, including a huge hammerhead shark. On April 3, the Fu Yuan Yu 379 was spotted again fishing outside the area of its licence and having discarded the bags of sharks that were considered evidence. The vessel would likely face further sanctions.
The vessel was owned by Fujian Pingtan Hengli Fishery Company Ltd. The vessel had been fined for illegal net adjustments which was categorised under “very serious” infractions of Guinean law. Current legislation did not penalise for sharks being caught as a bycatch, Greenpeace said.
The Esperanza, is on an expedition in West Africa to document the threat from overfishing to the marine environment and food security for millions of Africans depending on fish. The crew on board, with the support of fishing authorities from coastal countries in West Africa, aim to reduce the number of vessels fishing illegally or committing various offenses.
– African News Agency (ANA)
