USA tuna purse-seine fleet

[Tacklebags 404]

MEDIA RELEASEUNITED STATES’ TUNA PURSE-SEINE FLEET STEALS THE SHOW IN THE PACIFICAS LABOR AND GREENS RELIENQUISH SUPPORT FOR AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRYThe Australian Marine Alliance (AMA) today highlighted that the relationship between the AustralianGreens, Gillard Government and Australian industry had reached an historic policy low.Chief Executive of the AMA Dean Logan, “Within days of the announcement to close millions of sq/kms ofocean and the Coral Sea to Australian fisherman of all persuasions - on the basis of protecting theenvironment - the massive USA tuna purse-seine fleet has agreed to pay Pacific Island countries USD$630million dollars to catch in-excess of 4 times Australia’s total fish production, in the same region.“The policy dynamic here is nothing short of mind-blowing and one of the most stark examples of policyfailure and hypocrisy in Australian environmental policy and fisheries management history.”Summary of concerns:• The Government has not identified a single threat to substantiate large-scale marine closures;• Australia imports in-excess of 70% of it’s seafood and yet compensation for consumers and how toaddress our food security concerns has not been addressed in any way;• Within days of closing millions of sq/kms of ocean to fisherman the Gillard Government issuedhundreds of new oil and gas leases throughout the same Australian marine environment and yet theonly form of extractive effort that is effectively managed, is sustainable fishing;• The Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) associated with the draft marine reserve network wasreleased well AFTER the announcement and was not provided to industry, but leaked to a journalist;• The ABARES socio-economic assessment relating to the marine reserve network and the associatedcommunity, business and social impacts, is still not completed;• No one knows when the 60 day consultation period will start because the Government has yet toindicate when the draft marine reserve process will be gazzetted, and;• Department officials are talking to industry about ‘buy-outs’ and ‘structural adjustment’ and yet areunable to answer the most basic of questions from industry leaders.Mr Logan continued, “If this wasn’t so serious it would definitely be an episode on ‘Yes, Minister’!“The script would go something like this: In one breath The Rt. Hon James (Jim) Hacker MP is convinced bySir Humphrey to ask the nations fisherman to ‘trust him’ because ‘he cares for the environment and lovesaquariums’. All the while the massive USA tuna purse-seine fleet slip under the radar and cut a USD$630million dollar deal that renders Hacker’s passionate environmental announcement, impotent.“This decision proves that the overwhelming weight of international scientific opinion around sustainableresource allocation in the Pacific is not as Minister Burke has consistently argued, but rather that there isroom for increased sustainable exploitation of pelagic fish, like tuna, for food security purposes.“Additionally why has the Gillard Government and Greens sided with USA based environmental NGO’s tospecifically target Australian fisherman and not the USA tuna purse-seine fleet who will most certainly lookto secure a substantial return on their USD$630M investment?“Moreover, given this decision and the removal of almost all forms of efficient seafood extraction byAustralian fisherman in the region, how does Labor and the Greens now justify the $6.25 million p/aallocated to help Pacific Island countries to address illegal fishing and ecosystem destruction?” ended Logan.

http://www.australianmarinealliance.com.au/about.htmlWe are being screwed.TB

[Guest Brent61]

we get fined for 1 undersized fish or being over bag limits whilst everyone else can basically do s they please.raping australias watersscumbrent

[afishyfish 4]

:c poor in anyones book $'s rule the world and the waves. Pacific islands get a short term cash benefit from having their ( and eventually everyones ) :f populations apparently decimated

[snapper15.4kg 67]

We are being screwed.........Big Time