Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Oceana warns of suspicious interactions between italian driftnetters and purse-seiners at tuna-fattering farms in sicilian waters
The environmental organisation fears that fish is being transferred illegally on the high seas.
commseu@oceana.org
or call us at +34 911 440 880.
The environmental organisation fears that fish is being transferred illegally on the high seas.
Calabria and Sicily are the Italian regions using this illegal fishing practice the most.
The collaboration of the international organization for the marine conservation with the Italian Coast Guard has made possible the arrest of dozens of illegal boats and the seizure of 300 km of nets in the last few weeks.
A number of governments wish to authorise trawling in protected areas, the catching and sale of “baby fish”, the use of prohibited gear and the over-exploitation of fishing resources.
The “San Francesco” and the “Tania” were fishing with nets that were longer and at a greater distance from the coast than the European and Italian legislation allows.
After joining the Oceana Ranger crew for the early stages of the campaign to track down illegal fleets, Miguel Bose calls on the governments of Italy and France to immediately enforce European legislation banning driftnets.
The “Oceana Ranger” has left the island of Elba to patrol the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian and Balearic seas, looking for Italian fishing boats violating the European Union drifnet ban.