Tuna vessel skipper to be charged with illegal fishing

THE skipper of a Japanese tuna vessel is expected to be charged in Co Cork today with alleged fishery offences. A second Japanese ship has been detained by the Naval Service and is under escort to Castletownbere, Co Cork.

In a separate incident, a Japanese fishing vessel which ran aground in Galway Bay yesterday was successfully refloated last night. The vessel was not holed, and 10 of the crew were transferred to a sister ship by the Galway inshore lifeboat. It will be examined by divers later today.

Japanese vessels are not permitted to fish within the Irish 200 mile limit, but have used Galway and Cork for resupply awhile working in international waters.

The Air Corps and Naval service are continuing to monitor the movements of up to 30 Japanese tuna vessels which had been standing off the 200 mile limit yesterday. Gear which was not linked to the first arrested vessel, the 70 metre Minato Maru, had been identified in the sea 180 miles west of Galway Bay.

The chairman of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation, Mr Donal O'Driscoll, said the fleet's presence indicated the lost potential of the fishery to Ireland, and called for more research and political support for a species which was not under quota pressure. The Naval Service should also he given more resources to carry out its patrol duties, he said.

It was a credit to both it and the Air Corps that it had spotted the infringements, Mr O'Driscoll said given the increased pressure on Ireland to control its fishery zone. An EU commitment to give more resources to Irish fishery protection, on foot of access by 40 extra Spanish vessels from January of this year, had not translated into more ships, he said.

The second Japanese vessel, the Shoshin Maru, was detained for alleged logbook of fences by the naval vessel, LE Deirdre yesterday and its gear is being hauled last night. It is being brought into Castletownbere today, by a naval boarding party, while the LE Deirdre remains at the scene.

The LE Aisling also returned to sea after escorting the Minato Maru to Castletownbere last night. An Air Corps Casa surveillance plane is maintaining a constant daylight presence.

The Department of the Marine has confirmed that a recent application by a Korean company for a licence to deploy Japanese vessels on exploratory fishing in Irish waters has been turned down. Approval would have to be granted at EU level, the Department said.

Such is the value of tuna - particularly bluefin - on the Japanese market that its ocean going fleet will steam thousands of miles in pursuit of the migratory fish.

The fleet of 30 Japanese vessels identified just outside the 200 mile limit yesterday had begun to move further west out of radar range last night, abandoning unidentified gear. Such is the cost of the longlines - at least £30,000 in the case of the Minato Maru, that vessels would be reluctant to leave it behind. As for the catch even frozen bluefin tuna which have been bled and carefully handled can fetch £9 to £32 per kilo on the Japanese market, and one mouthful in a top class sushi restaurant can cost £20.

Prevalent in the north east Atlantic, bluefin tuna follows thermal currents into Irish waters. It has been caught in the Shannon estuary - by Irish boats using herring gear in 1979 - but there is no sustained policy to encourage the fishery, in spite of its potential. With encouragement from Bord Iascaigh Mhara scientists, up to 20 Irish boats were engaged in a £3 million seasonal albacore tuna fishery up to two years ago, but this has been reduced to seven boats, following conflicts with Spain and EU restrictions on gear.

Gillnets used by Irish vessels are restricted to 2.5 km, which makes a 700 mile steam to the grounds uneconomic, according to south west fishermen.