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Chinese craft break fishing rules; Lanka faces EU ban
View(s):Sri Lanka has been given a further three-month extension to fulfil obligations imposed by the European Union to prevent Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing practices or face a ban on fish exports to EU countries, officials said yesterday. The move comes in the wake of reports that Chinese craft among the vessels operating under the Sri Lankan flag have been responsible for IUU fishing, thereby putting the country’s fishing industry at stake.
At least eight Chinese vessels were recently given approval to operate under Sri Lanka’s flag. A spokesman for the Sri Lanka’s Mission to the European Union in Brussels told the Sunday Times that on Friday the EU had decided to grant time until December to meet the conditions which include the monitoring of fishing vessels entitled to operate under Sri Lanka’s flag.
The decision was taken after the European Commission (EC) came out with a strong report on Sri Lanka’s failure to adhere to guidelines to prevent and eliminate IUU fishing. A spokesperson for the European Commission’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries unit said the Commission had been closely observing what Sri Lanka was doing after the country had been identified as a state non-cooperating in the fight against illegal fishing.
“Commissioner Maria Damanaki has given Sri Lanka extra time to address the shortcomings and improve the situation. She has said that she intends to take action on a number of on-going IUU cases before the end of her mandate as Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries,” the spokesperson said.
“Any decision on the next steps would be thoroughly prepared by the Commission, including the consultation of member states as part of the standard EU process,” the spokesperson added.
The European Commission in its report points out that Sri Lanka has failed to undertake its flag state responsibilities under international law.
The report notes that licences are currently issued by Sri Lanka without a predetermined procedure in a non-systematic way. It says Sri Lanka has failed to discharge its duties under international law with respect to international rules, regulations and conservation and management measures. Sri Lanka has failed to monitor Sri Lanka flagged fleet operating in the high seas because of inadequate inspection and serious problems in reporting data to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). This undermines the country’s capacity to exercise its obligations as the flag state.
The report notes that increased sanctions on IUU infringements could be considered as a deterrent only for a part of the Sri Lankan fleet of large scale vessels above 24 metres in length, while the sanctions foreseen by the new Fisheries Act which is applicable to this part of the fleet cannot be considered a deterrent. The report says the fine of Rs 1.5 million cannot be considered effective in securing compliance.
Following a decision in 2012 Sri Lanka’s fishing vessels were due to be fitted with VMS requirements, but the vessels have not been fitted with such equipment and therefore another condition had not been fulfilled, the report says. The failure to provide timely information on statistics, VMS, catch and transshipment in port also undermines international regulations, the report adds. With respect to the compliance, Sri Lanka had not submitted some of the required information on statistics or on some conservation and management measures this year.
Europe has become the main export destination of most Sri Lankan tuna exporters. The EU has banned Belize, Cambodia and Guinea from the world’s most valuable seafood market.