The Australian Heard Island & McDonald Islands Patagonian toothfish fishery is now approaching the final stages of Marine Stewardship Council review. The MSC draft report was compiled by Scientific Certification Systems and is now available on the MSC website. The public comment period ends January 16th 2012. If successful, HIMI will be the third toothfish fishery to achieve the gold …
16th November 2011: Galician shipowner condemned for fraud
The Provincial Court of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria condemned the shipowner Manuel Antonio Vidal Pego, from Ribeira (A Coruña) for having committed fraud. The sentence states that the fraudster will be in prison for a year and eight months and will have to pay a daily fine of EUR 15 for eight months. In addition, the company shall indemnify …
14 November 2011: New study on evironmental impacts of MSC programme published.
The Marine Stewardship Council has released the results of an independent study that shows quantifiable, progressive improvement of the environmental performance of MSC certified fisheries over time. A summary of the report can be found here. This is good news for COLTO members and their associated toothfish (also known as Chilean sea bass) fisheries, of which two are currently MSC certified, with several …
4th November 2011: CCAMLR results “astounding”
Today saw the completion of the 30th annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Hobart, Australia. CCAMLR has 26 member nations and is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. It is responsible for the balance of the conservation of Antarctic marine living resources and their rational use. Members of the Coalition of …
23 Sep 2011: COLTO member awarded Nuffield Scholarship
COLTO member from Austral Fisheries, Rhys Arangio, has been awarded a 2012 Nuffield Scholarship, sponsored by Woolworths and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Rhys is planning on looking into ways to mitigate marine mammal depredation in toothfishing operations. To view the Media Release click on the link below: 2012 Nuffield Scholarship – FRDC and Woolworths Media Release
25 May 2011: COLTO Inc.
COLTO has successfully applied to the Commissioner for Fair Trading in Western Australia and has become an Incorporated Association. The following are the Articles of Association for COLTO Inc. Certificate of Incorporation Articles of Association
10 May 2011: Third fishery for Austral Fisheries & Australian Longline enters full assessment against the MSC standard
The Macquarie Island toothfish fishery, operated by Austral Fisheries and Australian Longline, has entered full assessment for MSC certification. This is the Australian operators’ third fishery to undergo MSC assessment with their HIMI mackerel icefish fishery successfully gaining MSC certification in 2006, and their HIMI toothfish fishery currently undergoing full assessment. Independent certification body Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), will evaluate …
28 April 2011: The toothfish bites back: The story behind the reduction of illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean.
References: Österblom, H., Sumaila, U.R., Toothfish crises, actor diversity and the emergence of compliance mechanisms in the Southern Ocean.Global Environ. Change (2011) Previous research has shown how Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported fishing (IUU) has proven so resilient to international enforcement measures that it should be included in the definition of organised crime. Illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean of the …
2 April 2011: Longline TAC set for Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery
The Hon. Tony Burke, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities has supported the introduction of demersal longlining in the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery (MITF). The AFMA Commission sought Minister Burke’s support following the successful trial of the fishing method over four seasons from 2007 to 2010 which showed that Patagonian Toothfish could be effectively targeted by longlining. In …