A system developed to protect longline catches from hungry whales has been presented on Fiskevegn’s stand during this year’s Nor-Fishing exhibition. Cetacean predation on longlines is a major problem in many fisheries around the world, particularly with sperm and killer whales taking fish from the lines. Family-owned Norwegian company Sago Solutions has developed the Sago Extreme, an aluminium pod that …
COLTO Member, Estremar, join toothfish project
A new collaborator has joined the project on genetic exploration and sampling of the Patagonian toothfish in the Argentine-Uruguayan Common Fishing Zone (ZCPAU). This project, developed by the company Argenova through the longliner Argenova XIV in collaboration with scientists from the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), can now count with the participation of Estremar. Estremar, based in …
Toothfish vessels line up in Nelson, NZ
Port Nelson’s ship fixers have secured a big boost to its winter work schedule with the arrival of the first of three international toothfish longliners. Owned by Norwegian-British partnership Argos Froyanes Ltd, the 2004-ton longline fishing vessel Nordic Prince arrived in Port Nelson on Wednesday for several months of repairs. Repair work is to be carried out by Aimex Service …
Deepening understanding of the Antarctic toothfish gene pool
Story by Eliza Grey Australian Antarctic Division An international team of scientists is investigating the gene pool of Antarctic toothfish in an effort to better conserve the species. As part of a collaborative project, scientists from nine countries will collect tissue samples from toothfish in the Southern Ocean, which will be analysed using the latest DNA genotyping techniques at the …
Austral commissions new toothfish vessel
COLTO Member, Austral Fisheries has entered into an agreement with Båtbygg AS in Norway for the construction of a SK-4260 fishing vessel designed by Skipskompetanse. The vessel, Cape Arkona, combines auto-line, potting and trawling and will set new standards for multi-purpose fishing operations. In line with Austral’s sustainability commitment, emphasis has been put on environmentally friendly and future-oriented solutions. The vessel …
Pirate Fishing Tycoon Hit with €8.2 Million Fine in Spain
Florindo González Corral, the Spanish fishing tycoon who owned the world’s most infamous pirate fishing vessel, the F/V Thunder, has been fined 8.2 million euros in a civil case brought by the Spanish government. The F/V Thunder was an INTERPOL-wanted fishing vessel that was involved in more than 10 years of illegal fishing in the Southern Ocean before its captain …
Two more IUU vessels arrested
The past three weeks have seen the apprehension of two IUU listed fishing vessels that have a history of illegally fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean. The conservation group, Sea Shepherd have been a central player in the recent arrests of the FV Hai Lung (formerly named Yele, Ray, Kily, Constant, Tropic, and Isla Graciosa), and the FV STS-50 …
South Georgia launches 4-year toothfish licenses
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands has launched the next toothfish licensing round. The documentation offered provides information for anyone applying for a license to fish for toothfish in the South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands Maritime Zone for the years 2018 – 2021. The deadline for applications is 10 December, according to the latest …
Australia increases its toothfish quota
Based on the latest scientific assessments, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Commission has decided to raise the total allowable catch (TAC) for Patagonian toothfish and to slightly decline the mackerel icefish TAC for the Heard and McDonald Islands Fishery season. AFMA informed that for the season starting on December 1, the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) TAC will be 3,525 …
COLTO at CCAMLR 2017
This year’s CCAMLR meeting marked an historic moment for COLTO, with the COLTO flag being flown outside the CCAMLR building for the first time (alas, we couldn’t control the lack of wind!). Once again, we were delighted to be able to promote collaboration between the fishing industry and science by sponsoring the 2016/17 CCAMLR tag return lottery. This year’s winners …
South Georgia proposing to extend toothfish licensing period
The South Georgia and South Sandwich toothfish fishery is one of the highest-scoring Marine Stewardship Council certified fisheries, underpinned by scientific research, ecosystem-based precautionary management, and careful monitoring and enforcement. It has developed following close collaboration between operators, scientists, NGOs and Government. The SGSSI Government is proposing a number of changes to the management of the fishery in support of …
Toothfish for all
Toothfish for all, says Réunion CRPMEM president The new president of the Réunion Regional Committee for Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture, Bertrand Baillif, argued strongly in favour of measures to benefit all of the island’s fishermen prior to his election, including a ‘Toothfish for all’ slogan. He said that over the last twenty years the island’s artisanal sector has suffered, commenting …
Toothfish Day 2017
Toothfish Day is celebrated on the 4th September every year in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The following clip from FITV shows what happened this year on this special day:
Argentina to undertake toothfish survey
A marine biologist and an observer from the National Institute of Fisheries Research and Development (INIDEP), headquartered in Mar del Plata, are to go aboard the fishing vessel Centurión del Atlántico this week in Ushuaia to conduct a survey study of this species to later evaluate the sustainability of the resource. The information, published by the newspaper El Sureño, states …
Weddell Seal diet unchanged in last 100 years
When scientists at McMurdo Station in Antarctica have time off from their field work, they often pay a visit to three nearby wooden huts built in the early 1900s by Antarctic explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott. That’s what UC Santa Cruz biologists Daniel Costa and Luis Huckstadt were doing on a day off from studying Weddell seals when …
Inaccurate Care2 Petition Removed
Following our recent post regarding the inaccurate and falsifying petition, we are happy to announce it was removed by Care2 Petitions. COLTO will continue to work with its Members, as well as governments, scientists, and the NGO community, to ensure that toothfish fisheries remain sustainable, and our impacts on the environment, minimal. We will also continue to promote toothfish …
Amazon targeted in inaccurate toothfish petition
Amazon has been targeted by an online petition saying they should stop selling Chilean seabass (Toothfish). The “petition” is inaccurate, misleading, and untruthful – and we are doing what we can to work with Amazon to ensure it is removed as fast as possible from all websites and public distribution. We would like to reassure our customers and all interested …
Australia’s Heard Island Toothfish Fishery re-certified by MSC
The Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Patagonian toothfish fishery has received recertification to the MSC standard for sustainable fishing. Originally certified in 2012, the fishery was once riddled with illegal and unregulated fishing for the valuable species, found across the southern ocean. But due to robust and collaborative management, there has not been illegal fishing in the region since …
Toothfish posterchild as MSC celebrates 20 years
This year the Marine Stewardship Council celebrates 20 years, and today, its certified fisheries account for 12% of global marine catch. Its goal is to have 20% of all wild seafood to come from certified fisheries by 2020. COLTO is extremely proud of the transition that our toothfish fisheries have made over the years, with now nearing 60% of the …
South Georgia and the Falklands get Street View
One hundred years after Sir Ernest Shackleton stepped foot on South Georgia – an island that had never been mapped – Google has brought the isolated region into people’s homes, adding the subantarctic isle and the neighbouring Falkland Islands to its arsenal of Street View imagery. BBC Travel tagged along with Google and Lindblad Expeditions for an exclusive look at …
Ervik and Argos building new toothfish vessel
Argos Froyanes, in conjunction with partner Ervik Havfiske, is constructing a new, specially-designed vessel for toothfish longlining in the hazardous waters of the South Georgia and Ross Sea. The company, itself a partnership between Norway’s Ervik Havfiske and UK overseas territories-registered firm Argos, hopes the new vessel can win it additional fishing rights in the strictly managed fishery. “This is …
Sanford CEO talks toothfish
A fish caught in Antarctic waters and sold in the United States as Chilean seabass is helping transform fishing company Sanford into a producer of high value seafood, but its CEO wants to change the narrative. Volker Kuntzsch says “New Zealand“ is a great brand, but the fishing industry hasn’t taken full advantage of it yet. “We catch this fantastic …
Operation Icefish steals the thunder
By Siddharth Chakravarty. Article originally posted on Livemint.com For three days I scoured the scrapyards of Mumbai’s Dockyard Road with a basic drawing of a winch, the kind used on fishing vessels. I sat with multiple dealers to try and source one that met my requirements, but had no success. Deciding I needed to speak to Brian, my chief engineer …
Lack of Jurisdiction Regarding IUU Fishing Crimes
Lack of Jurisdiction in Criminal Proceedings Regarding IUU Fishing and Related Crimes By Sally Frankcom:26th Feb, 2017: Securing convictions In March 2016, a joint operation between Spanish police and INTERPOL resulted in the arrest of six people linked to the fishing company Vidal Armadores. The company, along with its affiliates, had long been connected to a string of illegal fishing …
Crozet toothfish fishery gains MSC certification
PRESS RELEASE HERE The members of the Reunion Freezer Longliner Syndicate (SARPC) obtained the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for their Crozet fishery as part of their southern seas toothfish fishing activities. This certification recognizes the work done by the stakeholders in terms of sustainability of the resource and it is in line with the MSC certification obtained for the …
HM Commissioner hosts South Georgia stakeholders
HM Commissioner for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, Colin Roberts CVO, departed this week for a 12-day visit to the UK Overseas Territory accompanied by representatives of some of South Georgia’s key stakeholder organizations. The information was reported in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands Newsletter. The visit takes place on board the Government’s logistics and fishery …
CFL Hunter is launched
A modern longliner that will fish for toothfish in the Falklands’ waters, designed and built by shipyard Nodosa of Marin, has just been baptized and launched in Pontevedra, Galicia. The commercial director of Nodosa, Jose Ramon Regueira, stressed at the launching ceremony that a vessel of these characteristics “is not easy to find”, because it features “novelties that make it …
COLTO Member finds ‘biggest octopus’
An enormous octopus has been brought to New Zealand for study and exhibition, and scientists think it’s the biggest one they’ve ever seen. The research team of Darren Stevens, Dr José Xavier, and José Queirós have been studying the 1.2m long Great Antarctic Octopus at NIWA in Wellington, after it was fished up in the Ross Sea in Antarctica last …
Research in Antarctica
The New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute (NZARI) will support six new projects in 2017 to determine the impacts and implications of current and future warming in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Covering a wide range of topics, these projects use an array of new and emerging technologies; from unmanned aerial vehicles to the deployment of specialised probes for under-ice surveillance. …
Toothfish prices on rise, with IUU fleet in disarray
Prices have been steadily rising for Chilean seabass, or toothfish, with a crackdown on illegal catching set to see supply down in 2016. According to one executive on the high-end whitefish panel at the Global Seafood Market Conference, held last week in Miami, Florida, toothfish prices are getting to a high level for the US market. The market in Asia and US are …
Conservation plans to further protect albatross
The UK Overseas Territory of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands is this week launching an ambitious conservation effort to help protect the albatross. South Georgia is a globally important breeding site for a number of seabirds, including black-browed, grey-headed and wandering albatrosses. These species are protected and have been closely monitored by researchers since the 1950s. Despite this, South …
NZ scientist aims to unravel the mystery of Antarctic toothfish
A Nelson scientist’s mission to unlock deep sea secrets of the Antarctic toothfish has been boosted with approval of the world’s largest marine reserve. Nelson’s NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Steve Parker spent a month researching the fishery in the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area. Parker’s research focuses on understanding the controversial Antarctic toothfish, a species scientists are still learning about because of their remote …
Vidal off the hook
According to reports in the Spanish press, the case against Vidal Armadores, the beneficial owners of a fleet of vessels operating at various times fishing for toothfish in the Southern Ocean collapsed on a point of law. Key figures in the family-owned company based in Galicia were arrested and subsequently released on bail after their offices were raided in a …
Season’s Greetings
COLTO extends best wishes to all for the Festive Season and the New Year. This is a time to count our blessings, reflect on the past, and consider the future. And to be thankful for the opportunity to make our contributions to a future that preserves and celebrates our rich diversity and sustainable, responsible activities. Stay healthy, stay happy, stay …
Toothfish Regulation Controversy
By Munyaradzi Makoni, World Fishing & Aquaculture A failure by countries to voluntarily submit data on Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish catch risked catches being declared products of illegal fishing, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in Australia said, reports Munyaradzi Makoni. In a report to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild …
Thoughts to NZ
COLTO wishes to extend it’s heartfelt concern for our members, their families and their associates in the South Island of New Zealand who are affected by the serious earthquake that occurred overnight.
COLTO congratulates CCAMLR
The Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) congratulates the member states of CCAMLR, their delegations and support teams, as well as the many Government and Civil Society groups who have worked unremittingly and assiduously to achieve the establishment of a Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea. The achievement of consensus was a difficult and complicated matter, and represents a …
CCAMLR tag-return lottery 2016 – winners announced
The CCAMLR tag-return lottery, sponsored by COLTO, has been drawn by the CCAMLR Standing Committee on Inspection and Compliance Chair, Osvaldo Urrutia, and we are most happy to announce that this year’s winner of first prize is the Japanese flagged vessel, Shinsei Maru No.3, owned and operated by TAIYO A&F. The lottery is designed to promote awareness of the tagging scheme on …
South Georgia’s ‘Toothfish Day’
The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) are celebrating Toothfish Day with a reception and quiz at Government House in Stanley, Falkland Islands. The national holiday, which marks the end of the toothfish fishing season in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, was created to acknowledge the importance of the Patagonian Toothfish fishery to the …
COLTO Member helps with Antarctic Toothfish Research
The Antarctic toothfish (dissostichus mawsoni) is a cod icefish species native to the Earth’s southern seas. Living 1,000 to 1,800 meters below the ocean’s surface, the fish take about 17 years to fully mature, and are known to live up to almost 50 years. Yet, little is known about their specific migration routes. To discover the lifecycle of these unfamiliar creatures …
COLTO Depredation Workshop videos available
GlobalPesca have kindly uploaded video presentations from the COLTO Toothfish Depredation Workshop that took place earlier this year in Punta Arenas, Chile. The presentations can be found on the GlobalPesca YouTube channel.
Why would a pirate ship want insurance?
The bizarre case of the self-sunk illegal Thunder and recent research show that insurers still cover illegal fishers, to the illegal fishers’ benefit. By Christopher Pala One year ago, the Thunder, a Norwegian-built trawler with a long record of illegal fishing, glided to a stop in a lake-flat sea off São Tomé in West Africa in perfect weather. Then it slowly …
FAO report shows stable toothfish catches
The latest edition of the UN agency’s The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA) has been released, in which, saying that management measures appear to be working for CCAMLR‘s Patagonian toothfish fisheries, with catches being stable since 2005.
Ross Sea winter survey finds spawning Antarctic toothfish
At the edge of the advancing winter sea ice in the Ross Sea, a first-ever winter fisheries survey has uncovered new secrets of the Antarctic toothfish. The New Zealand commercial fishing vessel Janas, an ice strengthened longline vessel owned and operated by Talley’s Ltd., New Zealand, working with voyage scientists from NIWA and the Italian National Programme of Antarctic Research …
Insurance Companies Unwittingly Aid Marine Poaching
Last spring, the Thunder, an alleged poaching vessel, met its end off the coast of São Tomé and sunk to its watery grave. The Thunder was allegedly part of an armada of fishing scallywags that cumulatively siphon billions of dollars a year from the global fishing economy and wreak untold damage on fisheries around the world. Now, recently released research suggests that, despite their nefarious intentions, many of these illegal …
Global Collaboration Doubles Sustainable Catch in Five Years
MSC partners deliver lasting improvements for healthy oceans A new report published by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to mark World Oceans Day shows how effective management and improvements made by MSC certified fisheries are delivering measurable, positive impacts in our oceans, from reducing bycatch to advancing scientific understanding of marine environments. Since 2010, the volume of global wild seafood …
Peru sets first ever Toothfish quota
The Ministry of Production (PRODUCE) set the total allowable catch of toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) at 120 tonnes for this year along the Peruvian coast. This measure, according to details of the ministerial resolution that sets it (No. 151-2016-PRODUCE), responds to the recommendations from Instituto del Mar del Peru (IMARPE), and is aimed at small-scale fishermen that are authorized to catch …
COLTO Toothfish Depredation Workshop a Success
COLTO’s Toothfish Depredation Workshop that took place last month in Punta Arenas has been labelled a success by the 40+ attendees that took part. The attendees consisted of fishermen, vessel owners/operators, scientists, gear manufacturers, and policy makers in what was a collaborative effort to assess the state of depredation in the Southern Ocean’s toothfish fisheries. It was concluded that the …
COLTO Depredation Workshop
Today marks the opening of the inaugural COLTO Depredation Workshop, in Punta Arenas, Chile. The event has been co-sponsored by generous hosts AOBAC, Kendell Seafood, and WWF Australia. Attendees to the workshop will include fishermen, vessel owners and operators, fisheries scientists and government regulators from all the major toothfish fisheries. These COLTO Members and associated scientists/regulators will also be very …
IUU Viking sunk by Indonesian authorities
The Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry sunk on Monday an Antarctic toothfish fishing vessel, wanted by Interpol for alleged illegal fishing in areas across the world. The vessel was sunk in waters off Pangandaran Beach, West Java. “Today, we are here to witness the realization of the Indonesian government’s commitment to transform Indonesia into a global maritime axis,” Maritime …