ILLEGAL FISHING DRAWS $439,000 SETTLEMENT IN COOKS
Two Japanese vessels caught without licenses

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (Cook Islands News, Dec. 17, 2009) – An income windfall of NZ$1 million [US$439,159] was announced yesterday.

A settlement has been negotiated involving unlicensed fishing by two Japanese-flagged vessels earlier this year.

Minister of marine resources and acting prime minister, Robert Wigmore announced the settlement, after negotiations between the Japanese industry and the ministry.

The vessels, Koyu Maru 1 and 3, were detected fishing in the northern part of the Cook Islands exclusive economic zone by the ministry of marine resources, who were ably assisted by the Greenpeace vessel Esperanza.

However, the vessels could not be apprehended before they had left the EEZ and entered American Samoan waters.

The settlement, which was concluded at the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) annual session in Papeete last week, includes a compensatory payment of NZ$1 million to the Cook Islands government.

The Cooks also received a commitment from the Japanese government to cooperate in surveillance and enforcement activities as well as provide broad assistance with offshore fisheries development initiatives.

Wigmore said that the settlement is a very good result, considering that the vessels were not apprehended.

He said that it proved the value of the black-listing procedure adopted by WCPFC in assisting small island countries to bring illegal fishers to account.

According to ministry officials, prosecution under the penalty provisions of the Marine Resources Act was not possible.

"The fact that the offending vessels were not arrested was a major obstacle – and a negotiated settlement was the appropriate course of action," said a media release from Wigmore.

Wigmore praised the efforts of the Cook Islands delegation which negotiated the settlement in Papeete, as it represented a significant advance over the $250,000 settlements negotiated for each of the two vessels detected in 2008. The delegation consisted of ministry officials and an official from foreign affairs.

Wigmore also revealed that the ministry had played a crucial role in assisting Tokelau in their negotiations with the same fishing company, which had resulted in a settlement of $400,000.

However, he said, while we should be happy with this latest outcome, we cannot afford to lower our guard because illegal fishing continues to be a major problem for all small island states within the region.

The Cook Islands, he said, must strengthen its efforts if we wish to eradicate the illegal plundering by foreign fishing vessels.

Wigmore added that the ministry will be looking to utilise the settlement to enhance the country’s surveillance and enforcement capacity through increased patrols and use of advanced monitoring technology.

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