Kiribati

fishing rights

p reside nt Tabai of Kiribati bas i SSued a strong warning to foreign fishing interests follow ing the capture and sale of the us fishing vessel puvj j une Speaking at the opening of Parliament in Bairiki, President ada * SQ Id his government was c ? m J™ tted to Protecting Kiriba s nautical mile economic zone an< J that illegal fishing WOL^ d de me * severe punishment, Correspondent Batiri T.

Bataua reports that the whole

business was a very big catch, not only for the government but also for the crew of the fishing boat which caught the Tradition near Nonouti Island, the pilot of the National Airline plane which kept track of Tradition's move ments and the police and offi cials involved.

“Congratulations to you all, and let’s hope that this will not happen again. If the Americans cannot leam their lessons don’t worry; they are rich people and it’s a shame for them to rob one of the poorest nations on earth,” he comments.

Meanwhile, President Tabai revealed that Kiribati’s domestic fishing company, Mautari Ltd, would be expanded to a fleet of

eight vessels with operations being extended to the outer islands.

President Tabai said that while the fishing industry was the main way to achieve the government’s economic goals, the development of phosphate on Banaba Island was being investigated.

Opinion among the people of Kiribati varied as to the best course to take. Some said “It’s a beautiful ship, let’s use it for fishing” while others claimed it was too complicated and could be very expensive to run.

The Tradition was eventually sold back to its owners for US$l million, this on top of some very hefty fines.