Australasia joins in fight against illegal fishing

Ten Asian and Pacific nations pledged Friday to work closer to tackle rampant illegal fishing in the region in the wake of rapidly dwindling fish stocks.

Fishing ministers from the 10 countries signed an agreement to share information on illegal fishing and step up surveillance in their waters in an increased effort to reduce poaching and overfishing.

They also pledged data-sharing on the levels of fish stocks in their waters and the catches of their fishing fleets so they could work together to determine what amount of future fishing was sustainable.

The agreement was forged in a one-day meeting of the ministers on the resort island of Bali co-hosted by the Indonesian and Australian governments.

Other countries which signed the pact included East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and Brunei.

The regional plan of action covers fishing in the South China Sea, the Sulu Sulawesi Sea, Arafura Sea north of Australia and the Timor Sea.

Australian Fisheries Minister Eric Abetz hailed the agreement as crucial to increasing regional cooperation and combating unsustainable fishing.

"Today's meeting sends a clear message to the fish poachers that governments regionally are determined to cooperate and tackle the problem head on," he said after the signing.

"Illegal fishing is not just a problem which threatens Australian fish stocks, it affects many countries in the Southeast Asian region."

The agreement also paves the way for Australia and Indonesia to stage joint patrols to help stamp out illegal fishing in the waters between the two countries, Indonesian Maritime Minister Freddy Numberi said.

more news in Bangkok Post and other papers http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=118529

Radio Australia http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1914880.htm

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2007-05-05