Greenpeace campaign against Dongwon's fishing practices. (Photo Credit: Greenpeace)

Greenpeace pushes govt to refuse port entry to Dongwon vessel

Greenpeace International is insisting that the Mauritian Government should refuse port access to a South Korean vessel owned by Dongwon Industries and supposedly involved in illegal fishing.

The purse seine fishing vessel Premier is sailing to Port Louis and has already been granted permission to enter by Mauritian authorities, even though it has been accused of illegal fishing off the coast of West Africa.

This ship was later discovered to be using falsified letters stating that it had legal authorisation to fish in waters where no permission had been given. Liberia’s Bureau of National Fisheries (BNF) has confirmed that these letters are fake.

Mauritius will host a meeting in May 2013 of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), where members will discuss issues to curb illegal fishing, compliance and sustainability of the region's tuna fisheries.

"The Mauritian Government needs to follow other coastal states in the region that have already refused the vessels entry into their port. If Mauritius allows this vessel to enter, it is a slap in the face of other states seriously fighting illegal fishing and a signal to the world that Port Louis is wide open for suspected illegal fishing operators,” Greenpeace International oceans campaigner Oliver Knowles said. “This would be an appalling move ahead of the IOTC meeting."

Knowles said that if Mauritius allows the Premier to unload its cargo of fish, the country will risk the reputation of the canneries and brands operating there because that illegally caught tuna could enter the Mauritian supply chain.

“We will be alerting businesses and consumers to this risk," he asserted.

The environmental group has sent a letter to the Mauritian prime minister and the fisheries minister demanding that the Premier be refused port entry and services.

Last month, Liberia's government released a statement refuting Dongwon Industries's allegations that they are a "victim of fraud" by officials in the BNF after two of the firm’s fishing vessels were found to have been fishing illegally in the country’s waters, with the Premier carrying a forged license. When African authorities caught this vessel using a fake fishing license in 2011 and 2012, Dongwon sent a letter, forged to appear from the BNF, to the Korean Government implying that it was fishing legally; the same letter was also sent to African governments to obtain new fishing licenses for the same vessel.

In September 2012, Greenpeace accused Dongwon of fishing destructively with fish aggregation devices (FADs) and launched a campaign against it in its home country of South Korea.

Related articles:

- Dongwon Industries' allegations refuted by Liberia´s govt
- Greenpeace escalates anti-Dongwon campaign
- Greenpeace goes after Dongwon over their fishing methods

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Address:	275, Yangjae-Dong Seohcho-Gu
City:	Seoul
State/ZIP:	(137-130)
Country:	South Korea
Phone:	+82 2 589 3200
Fax:	+82 2 589 3165
E-Mail:	[email protected]
More about:

 

 

 

 

Print