Fishermen, activists clash again as tuna war hots up
Government calls on Dutch to remove vessels from registry
Maltese fishermen yesterday again clashed with activists at sea as they were towing a tuna pen, as the government called on the Dutch to consider removing a conservation society's vessel from its ship registry, citing violent conduct.
Local fishermen fired flares yesterday as protesters from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society attempted to free tuna being towed in pens for the second time in three days.
In a post on its website, the society said the flares were aimed at the vessel's wheelhouse and crew on the deck, though this claim was denied by the Malta Aquaculture Federation which said they were only fired to warn off the protesters.
The tuna pen, located about 45 nautical miles off Libya, was one of two involved in the first attack last Thursday, when hundreds of bluefin tuna were freed with two Maltese divers being injured in the process.
Towed at no more than one knot, the pen owned by the company Fish and Fish was once again targeted by Sea Shepherd at 9 a.m. yesterday.
The campaigners approached the tuna pen by ship, helicopter and dinghy to inspect the catch before the fishermen fired the flares.
However, unlike last Thursday's clash, when Libya snubbed military and diplomatic requests to intervene, the Libyan navy, which was a few miles away from the incident, moved towards the society's vessel.
The ship's captain, Paul Watson, said in a post on the society's website: "At that point, in the interest of safety, I ordered the inflatable and helicopter to return to the Steve Irwin. We then retreated to a safe distance away from the waters claimed by Libya. The two vessels Tagreft and the Rabbah 1060 pursued and continued to fire flares at us. We were able to lose them quickly," he wrote.
The society also claimed it heard the Cesare Rustico radio the Tagreft and Rabbah 1060, urging them to do "whatever you can to damage them so they will never return."
However, Fish and Fish lawyer John Refalo said the fishermen only acted in self-defence and to ward off the oncoming activists, who had caused damage before.
"Again, Sea Shepherd told the fishermen they were only going to inspect the tuna but the fishermen knew what was coming," Dr Refalo said.
In a statement last night, the Malta Aquaculture Federation said the fishermen requested assistance from nearby vessels once they saw the activists approaching, fearing a repeat of last Thursday's incidents.
The federation said Sea Shepherd activists only decided to abandon the attack when they realised they were being followed by the Libyan forces.
"Their behaviour is reminiscent of school bullies confronted by a teacher, and they abandoned the scene in a great hurry to avoid being caught up by patrol vessels.
"Today we have all been lucky in that another disaster at sea has been averted. What is clear is that a continuing strong presence of security forces is required at sea if further incidents are to be avoided."
The latest incidents come in the wake of clashes with Greenpeace, which tried to free Ta' Mattew Fish Farms' catch last Sunday. This, however, was foiled by the Armed Forces of Malta, who repelled activists with fire hoses and blocked the Arctic Sea's path to the pen.
The recent clashes at sea between fishermen and the two environmental organisations have been elevated onto the diplomatic stage.
In two letters sent yesterday, the government called on the Netherlands, which registers the vessels of Greenpeace and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, to probe the incidents and reconsider the vessels' inclusion in the registry.
Through a letter sent by Malta's embassy in The Hague, the government said: "Actions taken in the past days under the maritime flag of the Kingdom of the Netherlands were anything but peaceful. The aggression on the property of tuna operators was unprovoked and premeditated."
The tuna in question was legally caught according to Maltese, European Union and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas regulations, and was purchased by the farm operators with the consent of local and foreign authorities, the Maltese government said.
"The fish was therefore caught legally within the pre-established quota and belonged to the farm operator. Fishing carried out this year was highly regulated and in line with ensuring the sustainability of the stock, the relevant quotas having been set according to scientific study," the letter, seen by The Sunday Times, read.
The government also said that during the clash with Greenpeace a week ago, the activists ignored the Armed Forces of Malta's orders to stand down, and pointed out that two fishermen were injured in the clash with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
In light of this, it invited the Netherlands to investigate the violent protests and evaluate whether they were in breach of shipping regulations.
If this was the case, the government said the authorities should reconsider whether the Arctic Sunrise and Steve Irwin should be retained on the vessel registry.
"The government unreservedly condemns all criminal behaviour and unlawful acts at sea and hereby requests that an investigation be carried out by the maritime authorities," it wrote.
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Lou Kohn
Jun 21st 2010, 22:17
Everyone talks about sustainability and I notice no marine biologist reacted to this. The penning and fattening of fish is the same as with cattle. If there were no market for the fish, there would be no pens. As for Mr. Watson, I hope he runs aground and takes the rest of the eco-terrorists with him. If you have a mission, do it correctly and safely. Bullies sooner or later get their noses bloodied and I'm sure he is the type to scream bloody murder when it happens.
Gary Stokes
Jun 21st 2010, 03:04
For all of you that have posted messages against the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's actions, I hope you can face your children and explain where all the tuna have gone when they go extinct. Whether you agree with Paul Watson's actions or not, you should ask yourself how you are going to explain your greed and irreversable carnage to the next generation.
David Caruana
Jun 20th 2010, 19:12
McGregor, Kronos - how I wish you guys would prove me wrong and that the Bluefin tuna will bless our oceans for many many years to come!
April, even if he was a millionaire, he is not sitting in his pool drinking pina coladas and enjoying his "millions", isn't he?
Samuel, could you please tell us where did you get your information from? I'd really appreciate that.
David Caruana
Jun 20th 2010, 18:48
McGregor your link doesn't say anything. It's a blog page of a retired and bored captain who's got nothing better to do than to attack Capt. "Wats-his-name" - it's quite obvious that the man has some sour grapes on the issue.
Now since you seem to know Capt.Watson's personal finance inside out, please illuminate us and tell us where you got the information that he is millionaire. Without proof you're no different than CAPT. D. Peter Boucher - bored and sour!
Kronos - you too, proof please!
Have to say that both surnames don't really sound Maltese, which isn't a problem as we welcome everyone. But it does smell fishy (excuse the pun) to me - are you guys involved directly with the tuna fisheries by any chance?
Martin Debono
Jun 20th 2010, 18:41
Support Sea Shepherd - save our sea!
Samuel Kronos
Jun 20th 2010, 15:09
David, you are misinformed on the credentials carried by Mr Watson and sadly mistaken about his ability to obtain a working position on a commercial vessel, let alone a cruise ship. Paul Watson can call himself what he likes on his vessel. He is in charge, so he is captain. However he does not possess credentials to allow him to work another vessel. He registers all his vessels as yachts for a very good reason. He is able to slip through requirements that would otherwise apply to a vessel of that tonnage. To work as a Captain, he would have to possess a Master Mariners license rated for the gross tonnage of the vessel. He has plenty of sea experience, but has never bothered to become licensed.
Rules do not apply to Mr Watson. Whether it be obtaining mariner's credentials, or following fishing regulations in the Mediterranean, Watson does as he pleases. He has no right to inspect, much less release fish. If he thinks there is a violation, call proper authorities. The cage net can hardly run away and hide. Follow it until real authority can get there.
Joe Brincat
Jun 20th 2010, 14:32
the greed of a few maltese buisness men should not be allowed to jeopardise long term sustainability!!!!! stop purse seiners now! long live greenpeace and sea shepherd!!!!
April McGregor
Jun 20th 2010, 14:27
David Caruana by his own admission again, Watson is a multi millionaire and you can bet he didnt make his millions by writing poetry.
This is well worth reading.
http://nauticallog.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=37
It is clear that previous Press Releases from Paul Watson are largely untruthful and it was the intention of the MS Steve Irwin to cause trouble. They then claim that the fishing was illegal when they in fact have no training or ability to assess this as fact. The reaction in Malta is strong and one hopes the Government of Malta will use its Navy with the assistance of the Italian Navy, since they are Italian fishermen, to arrest the MS Steve Irwin. Get this Netherlands Flag State pirate vessel off the Mediterranean Sea and indeed the High Seas once and for all, exercise the International Arrest Warrant issued against Paul Watson and detain him for the Japanese Courts.
April McGregor
Jun 20th 2010, 14:21
Hidden Agenda is absolutely correct! Watson is a know trouble making pirate - by his own admission - who simply takes matters into his own arrogant hands. He should be arrested for his interference and aggressive behaviour. He is trying to get Green Peace to 'side' with him but they want nothing to do with his criminal activities. He forgets that he is not lording it over the southern ocean whalers now but in Europe where his behaviour is apparent that he doesn't play by the rules and is a thug and in it for his own personal gain.
John Azzopardi
Jun 20th 2010, 14:14
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a pirate society. Countries have laws to protect their citizens and there are courts to address infrigments and breakage in laws. citizens of any nation cannot be treated the way the sea shepard is doing. Could you imagine this is happening in the US for example. Enough of this nonsense. The Maltese army should go on board and escort this ship to it's harbors and keep it there.
David Caruana
Jun 20th 2010, 12:32
"HIDDEN AGENDA" - it seems this is the new buzz word and everyone is using it loosely - including the tuna ranching lobby. They seem to suggest that Capt. Watson and the crew of the Sea Shepherd have a "hidden agenda" behind their actions to protect the Bluefin Tuna.
So let's switch on our brains for a minute and let's be logical and rational:
Capt. Watson, as his title well explains, is a marine Captain. Instead of risking his life on a daily basis to protect marine life, he could be easily working as a cruiseliner captain. The average pay for a cruise ship captain is EUR 4,000 to EUR 9,000 per month. So obviously he's not doing it for the money. The crew occupying lower ranking positions like galley or deckhands are VOLOUNTEERS so needless to say, they don't receive any money for their work.
On the other hand, one single Bluefin tuna sold at EUR 141,254 recently in Japan. If the 800 tuna released by Sea Shepherd had to make their way to the tuna pens instead, after fattening, these could fetch around EUR 88,000,000 (yes, 88 million euros) - and that's ONLY ONE PEN - ONE CATCH!!
T Camilleri
Jun 20th 2010, 12:40
David Caruana do you think that anybody in his proper mind would engage Captain Watson when he himself declared that he is a pirate?
Emanuel Cilia Debono
Jun 20th 2010, 11:08
The ' Shepherds' have no right at law to intercept Maltese vessels and what is even worse to cause damage to property or threaten lives by unwarranted actions.
It is not a matter for lawless pirates to decide upon measures needed to protect the tuna species. This is is a matter for civilized discussion and negotiation round a table and decisions so taken have to be respected and obeyed.
Only international organizations like the U.N or its recognized subsidiaries and the E.U. are authorized to board and inspect Maltese vessels at sea.in accordance with legitimate terms. The Conservationists have no mandate to act outside the law,
Do we need our AFM to provide twenty four hours protection to our fishermen and fishing vessels when they are acting legitimately within the parameters of international law. The Libyan navy deserves thanks for its intervention in favor of Maltese interests . It was doing its duty when it responded to the call for assistance from the fishing vessels under unlawful attack within Libyan territorial waters.
Eric Gahn
Jun 20th 2010, 11:07
Yet again our beloved Government shows where its interests lie. All talk of environment, going green and (more) sustainability are just words to them. Unlike them Sea Shepherd provide a service to humanity by protecting the ecosystem.
All those here complaining of piracy and such: think of how you will explain to your grandchildren how once you used to eat fish. Proof exists that fish stocks are declining and in some areas around the globe already beyond the point of recovery.
Michael Micahel
Jun 20th 2010, 10:21
There is too much money being made for this to go away.
Tuna is unbelievably big business for Malta and the beneficiaries of the income it creates are going to fight it to the bitter end.
Is it sustainable no?
The type of income we are talking about however is enough to have every authority you need on side...
What other business in Malta generates 2 million USD a week?
Chris Finch
Jun 20th 2010, 09:22
TO all those saying that these Tuna ranchers are protecting their jobs, what do you think will happen to these jobs in a couple of years time when the Tuna in the Med are extinct? Do you think the handful of people getting rich off this trade will still keep these jobs open when there is nothing left to do?
The only way to protect the jobs of the traditional Maltese fisherman is to do like many have stated in recent days, boycott those involved in this industry. Stop buying fish at their fish shops or other products from them.
Buy fish caught in the traditional method from local fishermen. Show your true patriotism, and protect Malta's fishing industry.
Indirectly, you will also be supporting Malta's tourism industry and all those involved in it, as depletion of Tuna in the Med means unhealthy seas.
Don't just blindly believe what these Tuna ranchers are telling you about what is happening in the sea. They have a vested interest of hundreds of thousands of euros to try and convince you they are the innocent parties. DO not be fooled. They only care about money. Not Malta, or its people.
Franco Farrugia
Jun 20th 2010, 09:21
It seems that the Government of Malta is acting as judge and prosecutor at the same time. Let's hope that Holland is more pro-active in democracy and in respect for environmentalists than Malta can ever be.
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