On the 1 April 2015 the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) inspected the Geelong Star and its bycatch.
Officers inspected the bycatch mitigation devices required by AFMA – including the marine mammal excluder – during an educational presentation to the skippers and crew.
After inspection AFMA issued a Vessel Management Plan (VMP) setting out the detailed operational requirements to minimise the impact on non-target marine life.
The VMP has been published on the AFMA website and I quote:
The vessel is owned by: Seafish Tasmania Pelagic Pty Ltd.
(I believe the vessel is in fact owned by Parleviet and Van der Plas – a European fishing consortium.)
Port of Registration: Geelong Victoria.
(It is in fact an alias for the Dirk Dirk which is an alias for the Naeraberg from Europe – trading under a newly registered name to fool the locals.)
Vessel type is given as: Fishing Vessel.
(It is in fact an Industrial Factory Freezer Trawler.)
Hold capacity: 1061 tonnes.
(It will have to return to port 16 times to catch its full quota of 16,500 tonnes; the first return-trip cost the lives of four dolphins; the second another four dolphins died … giving a possible bycatch of 60-plus dolphins.)
The VMP states that :
Marine mammals are sometimes incidentally caught by midwater trawlers due to the overlap of feeding grounds and fishing areas …
The marine mammal excluder device prevents Australian sea lions, seals and dolphins from entering the codend of the net by using a grid barrier with an escape opening. Animals may exit the net through the escape opening …
Certain areas are closed to mid-water trawlers within the Coorong Dolphin closure area because of dolphin bycatch …
When 3 or more dolphins are caught in a trip it triggers a daylight-only fishing clause …
The first trip triggered the daylight-only fishing clause; the fourth dolphin forced the ship to return to port.
The second trip – with a further four dolphins, making a total of 8 dead dolphins – the vessel was again immediately forced to return to port.
Therefore each time the vessel has fished it has been forced to return to port.
I think we can assume it is a known risk and the area initially chosen was the least likely to encounter marine mammals.
As the safety clause has been triggered twice in two voyages I suggest that (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Richard) Colbeck must review the matter under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999.
And AFMA must – under the law – peform a full reassessment of the excluder device.
It must not allow the vessel back into the fishery until this is done.
EARLIER on Tasmanian Times …
• Factory trawler Geelong Star returns to port after catching dolphins
• Seal and dolphin death toll begins …
• Peter Whish-Wilson: Geelong Star’s licence to kill dolphins must be revoked … “The risk to marine mammals was foreseen in the report by the super trawler Expert Panel and yet the Geelong Star was allowed to fish. “Twice AFMA have given the green light to the Geelong Star and twice dolphins have been killed.“The Liberals and AFMA have given the Geelong Star a license to kill dolphins and that is exactly what has happened. “The Vessel Management Plan for the Geelong Star must be withdrawn now. Let’s send this boat packing. “Otherwise the Liberals need to come clean with the number of dolphin deaths they think is acceptable. “We now have a crisis of confidence in AFMA’s and Senator Richard Colbeck’s ability to properly regulate fisheries. “The public now rightly perceive the Liberals and Richard Colbeck as the champions on industrial fishing, not as fisheries managers for all stakeholders,” he concluded.
• Kim Booth: Premier Must Apologise and Rule Out Support for Geelong Star … “Premier Hodgman should hang his head in shame over the continuing killings of marine mammals by the factory freezer super trawler Geelong Star “ Mr Booth said today. “The shocking news of a further six dolphin and seal deaths, all killed by the Geelong Star, highlight the Premier’s lack of care and concern for the environment and the opinions of the community” “This avoidable slaughter was obvious to everyone it seems other than the Premier and his Liberal team, whom voted down a Greens motion calling for a Federal ban on the Geelong Star” “The Greens Motion for tripartite support for a ban on super trawlers and factory freezer trawlers if carried, would have sent a powerful message to the Federal government and the Geelong Stars biggest supporter, Senator Colbeck, that these boats are not wanted”
• Stop the Trawler Alliance: Two Fishing Trips, Two Dolphin Kills. The Geelong Star Must be Stopped Now! The Geelong Star was recently given permission to operate in Australian waters in the small pelagic fishery by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) with the support of the Coalition Government’s Senator Richard Colbeck. Both trips have resulted in the deaths of dolphins and seals. This is an inevitable consequence of AFMA’s management of this type of vessel in this fishery and is unacceptable. “The Stop the Trawler Alliance has been pointing out the risk to marine mammals since before the attempt to bring in the super trawler Margiris”, says Tooni Mahto, from the Australian Marine Conservation Society. “Minister for the Environment, Greg Hunt, has the responsibility of ensuring dolphins are protected from the impacts of fishing. We’re waiting to see evidence he’s taking the responsibilities of his portfolio seriously”.
• John Hawkins, in Comments: #13. The reason that the vessel returned to port has nothing to do with a pollie of any creed or colour. The vessel returned to port because that is the law as written in the Vessel Management Plan. Colbeck states that it was voluntary but he is the Minister putting a political gloss on the matter. As one would expect of a Minister of the Crown telling a lie in full knowledge of the facts is par for the course. As I have stated above he should as a result be sacked. Not in your corrupt Tasmania.
