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afrol News, 31 January - Environmentalists are alarmed by reports that illegal, unlicensed vessels are fishing in Mozambique waters, using techniques that have left an estimated 40 marine turtles dead since the start of the year. The turtle carcasses are washing up on Mozambican beaches, often beheaded or with their throats cut. Tourists had reported to the envrionmental group WWF that these vessels were operating within the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, recently celebrated as a Gift to the Earth by WWF and the people and government of Mozambique. The boats were said to be of Chinese, Korean, or Taiwanese origin, and "are using long-lines to catch sharks - possibly for the lucrative shark fin market in East Asia," WWF reported. One of the long-liners operating Bazaruto Archipelago National park on 19 October 2002 was photographed and positively identifed by Park Staff as Chi Shun 66, Registration number CT-1073, WWF said in a statement. "The vessel is Taiwanese and the Mozambican Ministry of Fisheries has confirmed that it is not licensed to fish in Mozambican Waters," the group added. Long-line fishing uses steel cables of up to 25 kilometres long with baited hooks attached every metre. "These hooks are particularly lethal for loggerhead and leatherback turtles, which are caught as they swallow the bait, and then drown or are killed by fishermen cutting away this unwanted catch," WWF warned. The finding of numerous beheaded green turtles in Mozambique suggest even these normally vegetarian turtles are also being impacted by the illegal long-lines. - WWF has received urgent letters of appeal from tourists, backed by photographs showing mostly beheaded turtles and the suspected boats responsible for these acts, said Ms Helena Motta, the group's representative in Mozambique. "We are deeply concerned because these vessels are completely illegal as no licenses whatsoever were issued to them. They are not using any Mozambican harbour, and must therefore be getting support from other vessels." - Operating outside the law, these fisheries cannot be controlled by regulations or by zoning to exclude activities in sensitive areas, the groups said. In the past months, WWF had alerted the Mozambique navy, supplied them with available information and pictures, and transported a contingent of military officers to Bazaruto. However, WWF was concerned that Mozambique's navy was "relatively helpless" to respond as they have neither boats nor helicopters for patrolling. In addition, the culprit vessels are suspected to be armed. The illegal long-line fishery is adding to the already heavy pressures on Mozambican turtle populations from the shrimp trawling industry. A recent study estimated that each year, shallow-water shrimp trawlers operating in Sofala Bank in central Mozambican waters kill between 1,900 and 5,400 marine turtles caught as bycatch. - These turtle deaths could be averted by the installation of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) on the trawl nets: a simple and inexpensive operation which is actually welcomed by Mozambican boat owners, the group advices. Legislation requiring the use of TEDs could be implemented through the appropriate changes to Mozambique's fishing regulations. A review of these regulations is happening right now. WWF therefore was pressing the relevant government ministries in
Mozambique and the security authorities to act decisively and take
concrete steps to stop the further senseless loss of marine life along
the coast - both from illegal long-lines and the legal shrimp trawlers. Sources: Based on WWF and afrol archives
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