Papua New Guinea Gets Tough

WITH FISH POACHERS AND . . .

From Gus Smales

in Port Moresby

Papua New Guinea will adopt new measures to control foreign poaching on its fishing grounds, the Chief Minister, Mr Somare, announced in February.

The government’s decision follows the increasing incidence of illegal fishing by foreign ships in PNG waters.

Mr Somare did not give details of the form which the new control mea sures would take. It is understood, however, that the measures will in clude the establishment of regular reports from outlying islands, ships and aircraft about shipping move ments.

This will be coupled with an organised patrol system to be oper ated by patrol ships of the PNG defence force.

It is understood, too, that govern ment legal officers will instruct in spectors in the types of charges which can be used most effectively when ships are detected fishing illegally under differing circum stances.

PNG will also establish proce dures to speed up negotiations with owners and agents once a ship has been arrested.

No changes in the law are con templated, but the government will do all it can to streamline processes associated with the prosecution of illegal fishing.

PNG has been responsible for its own fishing controls since last year, and has introduced tough penalties, including mandatory confiscation of vessels where charges of illegal fish ing have been proved.

Mr Somare said PNG was forced to take a tough line because fish represented one of the country’s major natural resources and because there had been a big increase in illegal fishing. He believed that many of the ships operated on what he called a “ruthless owner-crew profit sharing basis, with the owner taking the lion’s share”.

He believed that deliberate law breaking was being committed to get fish, exploiting a natural resource which belonged to PNG.

Two days after Mr Somare’s an nouncement, a Japanese-owned vessel was confiscated by a Rabaul magis

trate for illegal fishing in February, thus giving the lie to allegations made earlier that fishing prosecutions had been concentrated against Taiwanese because they were relatively defence less, having no diplomatic represent ation, whereas Japanese ships were being allowed to break the law with impunity.

The ship, the Kotura Maru, worth $750,000 was arrested near Green Island, between Bougainville and New Ireland.

The captain, Saichi Susuki, was fined $5OO, and later, the PNG Minister for Defence, Foreign Re lations and Trade, Sir Maori Kiki,

said the government was asking for $lO,OOO for the release of the ship.

He said $lO,OOO was a nominal sum when compared to the vessel’s real value.

The government had fixed a nomi nal amount, Sir Maori Kiki said, to demonstrate the importance .it attached to good relations with the Japanese, especially in the field of economic co-operation.

Japan has contested PNG’s right to seize vessels outside the three-mile limit but PNG maintains it has the right to enforce fishery laws out to at least 12 miles and over the whole continental shelf.