EE.UU. - Southern Oceans Toothfish Watchdog Group Gets Support

viernes 15 de noviembre de 2002

SEAFOOD.COM November 15, 2002 -By Ken Coons- As reported yesterday, Australia withdrew its proposal to list Chilean sea bass under CITES Amendment II, recognizing it didn't have the votes for the proposal to carry in the 160 member body.

However the CITES group, meeting in Santiago, Chile, did vote unanimously to have all members voluntarily report catches of Patagonian toothfish, which is marketed in the U.S. as Chilean sea bass to the 24 member Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Species (CCAMLR.

This was the approach favored by host country Chile.

'This is a small, but significant step toward reducing the rampant pirate fishing that is wiping out whole populations of this species across the Southern Hemisphere,' said Ginette Hemley, vice president of species conservation at WWF.

'Unfortunately, there were not enough countries willing to support stronger measures to protect toothfish, but we see this as a start.'

'It's a positive step, it helps put international pressure on 160 nations rather than on 24 to participate in the CCAMLR catch documentation scheme,'
Martin Exel, general manager of Australia's Austral Fisheries told Reuters.

Marine conservationists say the population of the Patagonian toothfish is shrinking fast and it could become commercially extinct by 2007 if illegal overfishing isn't brought under control.