I used to fish for red snapper off the Farallon Islands in California. There were regular trips for hire from SF at the weekends. An excellent fish we don't get in the UK.
International fisheries update.
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cbc.ca
More patrols needed to beef up new fish treaty
Last Updated Mon, 19 Jan 2004 13:22:38
ST. JOHN'S - More patrols are needed to stop foreign ships from overfishing, the federal fisheries minister said on Monday, the same day an international fishing agreement came into effect.
The United Nations Fisheries Agreement, which the European Union ratified last month, deals with the conservation and management of fish stocks that straddle international boundaries, as well as highly migratory fish species.
Federal Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan took off from St. John's on Monday aboard a fisheries department surveillance flight outside the 200-mile (370-kilometre) limit.
He said more such patrols are needed to make the deal effective.
"I think there are tools in that agreement that we should be moving towards using," said Regan.
The UN agreement was negotiated in the months following a standoff in 1995 between the Canadian navy and Spanish fishing boats, an incident that came to be known as the "turbot war."
FROM DEC. 2, 1998: Sign fish treaty, Tobin says
The deal allows Canadian inspectors to board vessels outside the 200-mile limit to look for evidence of overfishing or catching species that are under a fishing ban. If the country that registered the vessel fails to respond after three days, inspectors can order the ship into the nearest port for more searches.
Trevor Taylor, the fisheries minister for Newfoundland and Labrador, welcomed the treaty, but the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has no patrols or boarding parties scheduled.
FROM FEB. 1, 2002: Canada accuses foreign fleets of overfishing Grand Banks
Nadia Bouffard, the director of the Atlantic Affairs Division of the fisheries department, said she hopes a plan will be ready soon.
"We don't have a date. These are complex matters, they need to be fully assessed, looked at in consultation with stakeholders," she said. |
