ANNONCER
Austral Fisheries have announced that the off-season refit of their largest vessel, Atlas Cove, has exceeded expectations with results from their first fishing trip of the season achieving fuel savings of 29%.
Naval architect Skipstkompetanse and Måløy shipyard Båtbygg have contracted to build an innovative multi-purpose fishing vessel for Australian operator Austral Fisheries.
Maritime Border Command (MBC), a multi-agency taskforce within the Australian Border Force (ABF), and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), apprehended two Indonesian fishing vessels in the Timor Sea, approximately 100 nautical miles east of the Ashmore Islands.
The South Australian sardine fishery will enter full assessment to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing. The fishery will be subject to third party independent assessment by accredited certification body MRAG Americas.
The furore over claims by environmental organisations of suspicious fishing activity continues as the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has gently set out in response to a National Geographic article, specifically mentioning a vessel operated by Austral Fisheries, that AIS is not the same thing as a VMS.
New South Wales takes a hard line on illegal fishing, and arrests were made and a vehicle seized in an operation designed to target illegal lobster fishing and sales of poached lobster. The vehicle used to transport the lobsters could be forfeited. This follows operations last year that resulted in jail terms and fines running into millions.
A farm trial where abalone are fed recycled grape marc from the wine industry has begun in southern Australia. The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) has partnered with Port Fairy abalone farm Southern Ocean Mariculture, Aquafeeds Australia and Tarac Technologies following a successful lab trial last year.
Australia’s Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources has issued a robust response to claims by Save Our Marine Life that the Australian government is setting out to mislead the public over proposed marine parks and ideas for access for fishing vessels not under the Australian flag.
Based on the latest scientific assessments, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Commission has increased the total allowable catch (TAC) for Patagonian toothfish and reduced slightly the mackerel icefish TAC for the season starting on 1 December.
Australian trawlermen fishing on what had always been clean ground are facing a new threat; the arrival of home-made artificial reefs dropped by anglers expecting that these will provide a habitat for fish.