Svartlistning av länder slår mot företag

EU:s hot om att svartlista fiskebåtar flaggade i Belize, Guinea och Kambodja innebär att flera europeiska tonfiskföretag kan få problem. Deras fiskebåtar är nämligen i flera fall registrerade i Belize. De företag det gäller är MW Brands, ett dotterbolag till thailändska Thai Union Frozen Products, har tre båtar registrerade i Belize, Cap Coz, Cap D’Ambre och Cap Verga via sitt dotterbolag i Ghana, Pioneer Food Cannery. Spanska Pevasa är det andra bolaget som har båtar i Belize. I det fallet handlar det om en snörpvadsbåt, Playa de Azkorri.

Cap d’Ambre

Sannolikt kommer bolagen att flagga om båtarna om det blir allvar av svartlistningen. Det är dock inte säkert att det blir nån svartlistning av Belize då det landet har begärt att EU ska ompröva sitt beslut. Kritik finns också mot att EU enbart föreslagit svartlistning av tre mindre länder och inte av de nationer där IUU-fiske är väldigt vanligt som Ghana, Korea och Kina:

While the tuna players welcomed the EU’s move, there is a feeling of frustration that the EU picked small and relatively insignificant countries at first, instead of tackling bigger countries such as South Korea.

The real deal, said sources, will be if the EU actually goes forward with its threats against South Korea and Ghana – two key players in the industry. “We would like to see if the EU dares to deal with the big boys,” said an EU fishing source.

“Belize, Guinea and Cambodia, are not important. What will be important is Ghana and South Korea,” said another.

A ban against Ghana could see up to 45 vessels blacklisted by the EU.

Another one agreed. “The potential impact won’t be big. These are small countries with little diplomatic power,” he said, referring to Belize, Guinea and Cambodia. “If the EU really wanted to have had an impact, it would have gone for China, or South Korea, for instance.”

Large South Korean players such as Dongwon Industries and Silla are active in West African waters but also in onshore processing, operating canneries in Senegal and Ghana. Dongwon’s cannery in Senegal, SCASA, supplies exclusively the EU market, said sources. “If there were to be sanctions against them, that cannery would not be able to operate.”

Ghana, Korea och Curacao är länder som fått varning från EU om att svartlistning skulle kunna bli aktuell även i deras fall. Detta skulle slå mycket hårt mot Dongwon. Dongwon har redan fått betala böter för tjuvfiske minst en gång och bär sannolikt en del av skulden till varningen till Korea men även landets oförmåga att införa ett elektroniskt kontrollsystem på sina fiskebåtar hade förstås betydelse:

Though the country might be stigmatized as an IUUF nation, the ministry recently suspended the introduction of a compulsory Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), which tracks a fishing vessel’s whereabouts, until July next year. China has already made it compulsory.

The E.U. picked that as one of the reasons why it warned Korea; but the ministry claimed that enforcing the system which will cost millions of won for each vessel could be a financial burden to companies.

According to a fishing industry insider, who asked for anonymity, it may be burdensome for some small companies, but it was not a big deal for large companies such as Dongwon, Korea’s largest canned tuna provider.

“Six large companies, like Dongwon and Sajo Industries, take about 80 percent of the ministry’s subsidies to the fishing industry amounting to 300 billion won a year,” Park said.

The E.U. warning came after a series of IUUF incidents perpetrated by Korean fleets around the world.

In April, Dongwon paid a fine of $2 million to the Liberian government its fishing vessel “Premier” was caught fishing in waters off the African country without a permit.

The company claimed they were deceived by a local agency, Inter-Bulgo, but failed to provide any evidence and the ship was impounded for 60 days.

Dong Won 701

EU hävdar samtidigt att Ghana är det land som har flest fiskebåtar som ägnar sig åt IUU-fiske:

Belize and Guinea have already been subjected to blocks on tuna exports to the European Union, said Atuna. According to the website: “This saw as many as 68 vessels with a total tonnage of 22,538 operating under the Belize flag blacklisted by a region that is a major player in the tuna industry and a key market for canned tuna. Six vessels under the flag of Guinea were also branded as IUU.”

The EU has named Ghana as one the countries with the most illegal fishing industries. Nayon Bilijo, Ghana’s minister of fisheries and aquaculture has said that he is taking steps to avoid the looming EU sanction. “What Ghana has to do now is to liaise with our neighbors to ensure that it is easier for a Ghanaian vessel to acquire fishing license to fish in Liberia, Ivory Coast and so on,” said Bilijo, as quoted by Atuna.

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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om MW Brands, Cap Coz, Cap D’Ambre, Cap Verga, Thai Union Frozen Products, Pioneer Food Cannery, Pevasa, Playa de Azkorri, Svartlistning, IUU, IUU-fiske, Dongwon, Tonfiskfiske, Ghana, Belize, Guinea, Kambodja, Korea, Kina, Pelagiskt fiske, Tonfisk