LONGLINERS ……..and still…………
MORE LONGLINERS!!

Who is going to hit them this time, and hard??

 

This is one of the most predominant questions asked, and how can we or any global organization stop them the hard or political way ? We have endured the carnage of over-fishing made by the Japanese, Taiwanese and Koreans for a long time now, since 1986, in and around the Caribbean Basin, until the undersigned decided to call in ABC News and with their assistance put a stop to the regular visiting at the Aruba Port for off-loading and re-loading to the awaiting Japanese Mother Vessels, which carried everything back and forth to their homeland.

Well in the interim, a lot more is now known about high leveled protection given by larger countries, which otherwise, should give a better example and not pretend to be what they are not.

The undersigned and Jose Luis Campos tracked these "marauders" thoroughly during 1986 - 1987 but come to know that the worst is now taking place for the last 3 years in St. Maarten, one of the Dutch/French Islands of the Windward. Here we have fleets of Japanese, Taiwanese and Korean longliners catching anything they can and their by-catch is not exactly known to date, as no survey of their catch is reported, but it said by many who have seen, that it's amazingly scary, and that it will definitely badly affect our Sport Fishing in the very close future, though, Venezuela, the Islands in the Caribbean Basin and those around are seeying a powerful decline of their Sport Fishing catch for the last two years.

It's just disgusting to see how foreigners arrive from around the globe, 10.000 miles away, with nothing else in mind but, to destroy our marine ecology, and if one of the main world powers is doing nothing to stop them or even apply stricter laws, then this has to be thoroughly investigated on an international basis as something seems to be totally haywire. This world power seems as though they are more interested in "Sting" operations, undercover agents work, International dope smuggling, a war they knew was lost from the very beginning (1984), and laundering schemes of all sort, WHY, because if those wars are won each and everyone of the agents involved and those at the top 'have the doors open' to "Go Home" and that they cannot afford. No, this subject is not the war on drugs (which is lost), but the uncontrolled slaughter of fish and wildlife on the high seas. The seas for decades are being "mine" slaughtered not to mention also the overheating and still opening of the ozone layer.

In Spanish we say: "En la pesca no hay nada escrito" and THAT's the biggest shame ever as even for a cellular phone, there is something in writing and fines to be paid, but for Mother Nature and her marine ecosystem, who cares, we have to become millionaires from it anyway. We as conservationists and, in the Sport fishing business, hear and see plenty and do not kill but protect by tag and releasing and it's time now, not to continue, but to stick by our guns, and be prepared to assist those who take an active part in conserving the marine ecosystem and destroy those that are on the slaughter, yes, DESTROY THEM! They pity no one, so why pity them, when they consider sweeping clean the seas more important?

And our local Governments, in the Caribbean, what about them, do they show any interest in protecting their own ecosystem ? No Sir, they don't even have the time for it let alone give a hand to help out their Tourist, which is the main income to all the Islands, whether they be Windward or the Leeward. Antillian Officials have desired for some years to expand the local fishing Industry, and have considered the longliners as one of the fishing methods. They even went as far as thinking of giving the longliners tuna, swordfish and other oceanic pelagic fish. Some of these longliners operate and dock in Curacao, while the worst and most disastrous group operates out of St. Maarten, the Windward Group, consisting of a Japanese Company which has for years now served as a transshipment point for foreigners, mostly Taiwanese longliners targeting tuna in the Atlantic. Why the Atlantic, because here they can remain between Trinidad and Puerto Rico and catch all the pelagic fish entering or leaving the open channels to the Caribbean Basin. Could you believe that 24 large Taiwan Longliners were operating from St. Maarten last year (2000), although the number has varied somewhat over the time. They ship albacore tuna to Puerto Rican canneries and the tuna and some incidental billfish is marketed in JAPAN and a few Billfish is sold in local Caribbean markets. Available information suggests that fairly substantial quantities of product is being transshipped at St. Maartin.

Foreign purseseiners have been registered under the Netherlands Antilles flag and Antillian officials point out that they have a 50-year history of flagging vessels and it is said that only a few of the vessels flagged by the Netherlands Antilles are fishing vessels. Any interest by the Dutch in this kind of operations, as they were also directly involved in the year 1990.

Recreational

Recreational fishing is a popular activity in the Netherlands Antilles, especially the islands with a substantial tourist industry. Diving appears to be a greater attraction than fishing on the Dutch islands, especially Bonaire but even so because of certain chemical industries on some of the Islands there is no protection for the ecosystem, in other words to many destroyed corals and reefs and almost no coral fish.

The foreign longline fisherman chartered by the Japanese deployed longlines 40 - 50 miles long with about 1,500 - 1,800 hooks and make trips averaging 4 - 5 months. Some limited foreign transshipment has been reported through Aruba in 1986-1987 But these "marauders" were stopped right in their track by bringing down an ABC film crew to Aruba from the United States to film the operation, where the by catch noted came very close to 70% but the undersigned being an environmentalist at that time under the National Coalition for Marine Conservation made them stop because of all the bad publicity, they themselves caused to be reported, as shipping old muddy colored tunas to Puerto Rico by containers and then claiming with the Insurance Companies there. Before them we had the Bad Yanks and they were moving around like mosquitos all over the Caribbean into Aruba and the Bahamas.

So far there has been a substantial, but unknown tuna catch reported by the Taiwan and other longliners operating out of St. Maartin and although the great bulk of the catch was taken outside the Caribbean Basin which means that pelagic fish and billfish either entering or leaving the Basin, were easily caught. In one year about 8,000 tons of tuna, mostly albacore were shipped to the United States, meaning that the total numbers, considering the transshipment to Japan, could bring these numbers a lot higher than indicated as they never give consiced reports of their real catch.

It is clearly known by all Sportfisherman that for the last 2 years there was a noticeable decline in billfish, especially blue marlin and white marlin , the spearfish which is no longer seen and the very small tunas being caught, compared to 5 years ago. Albacore and yellow fin tunas are only seen in small schools and size. Where do we go from here, as this unchecked overfishing will affect our Tourism drastically, considering that it's one of the sports or entertainment that many visitors look for, but on the long run with no fish, we will watch the decline in the tourism out of the United States take place.

The undersigned will bring a lot more to the attention of all those deeply concerned and suggests to all those involved, such as organizations,  governments etc., to stand by firm and fight back this group of Japanese/Taiwanese/Korean longliners who have no conscience. The Sea without it's living creatures means no survival for humanity in the near future.

My best wishes and appreciation to all those who really respect Mother Nature and it's ecology in general and do all possible to save it.


Alfredo E. Pichardo
Manager/Director
Teaser Charters NV
St. Vincentstreet 5,
Oranjestad, ARUBA
TEL: 011-297-582-5088 FAX: 011-297-582-4614
Email: millennium@setarnet.aw

  

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