According to a media report a foreign vessel admits that it has fishing illegally in New Zealand waters proved expensive to the owners of the vessel. The Taiwanese owners of the Vanuatu flagged tuna long-liner Fu Chun 126 have acknowledged that their vessel fished illegally in New Zealand waters and have paid $NZ220,000 in sanctions to the New Zealand Government.
Royal New Zealand Air Force P3K Orion caught the vessel fishing illegally in late 2009, some 70 nautical miles inside the northernmost part of New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), to the north of the remote Kermadec Islands. The vessel did not hold a New Zealand fishing permit making its actions illegal under New Zealand’s fisheries law.
Ministry of Fisheries Acting Chief Executive, Andrew Coleman says this latest settlement is another satisfactory outcome which should send a message that illegal fishing activity within New Zealand’s EEZ will not be tolerated. He told that the cooperation of the Vanuatu authorities was a critical element in resolving this unfortunate matter.
As per Coleman New Zealand has worked closely with Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Tokelau and the Cook Islands to develop the Te Vaka Moana and Te Vaka Toa Arrangements which provide for a range of joint activities that will protect and support the sustainability of fish stocks in the region, while at the same time ensuring that the maximum sustainable economic benefits can be gained from those fish stocks.
