§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if it is his policy to assist the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department to prevent illegal fishing within the Falkland Islands Fisheries Protection Zone; and if he will make a statement; [81879]
(2) if approval has been given for the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department to (a) arm and (b) use a 0.50 inch calibre gun, on one of its fisheries protection vessels. [81876]
§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what steps he is taking to prevent illegal fishing in Falkland Islands waters; [81963]
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent of illegal fishing in Falkland Islands waters; and if he will make a statement; [81961]
(3) what representations he has received about illegal fishing in Falkland Islands waters; and if he will make a statement. [81962]
§ Mr. Donald AndersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will approve the application of the Falkland Islands Government to utilise a 0.50 inch calibre gun for fisheries protection purposes. [82217]
§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) if he will make a statement on the timescale in granting permission for the arming of a Falkland Islands fishery protection vessel with a 0.50 inch calibre gun; [82058]
180W(2) if he will make a statement on the timescale in the arming of a Falkland Islands fishery protection vessel; [82060]
(3) what assessment he has made of the level of illegal fishing being carried out in the water around the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement. [82057]
§ Mr. Tony LloydWe take the matter of illegal fishing in the Falkland Islands seriously and it is our shared objective with the Falkland Islands Government to combat the problem. Illegal fishing has the potential to undermine the Falklands economy and attempts to conserve fish stocks. Recently, there have been up to an estimated 50 unlicensed vessels in Falklands waters and we assume that all were engaged in illegal fishing activities. The number of vessels now appears to be declining.
In January this year, we authorised the arming of a Fisheries Protection Vessel (FPV) with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon, which is the best weapon for the task of deterring illegal fishing and dealing with it, if necessary. The Falkland Islands Government (FIG) are responsible for the procurement and shipment of the cannon. This process has taken longer than anticipated. We have tried to help FIG speed up the shipment of the consignment but it cannot be carried on a passenger aircraft together with the ammunition needed. Accordingly, the Ministry of Defence has agreed to fly the cannon out on the next freight flight on 6 May.
FIG requested approval for temporary use of a smaller, 0.50 inch, machine gun on an FPV, as an interim measure. This request was carefully considered and a decision was made not to give approval. The machine gun is not a good visible deterrent and there are concerns that warning shots, which the FPV would be required to fire to alert a suspected unlicensed vessel, would not be seen or heard.
As a temporary measure, the Ministry of Defence has agreed to our request for one of the Royal Navy vessels stationed in the Falklands to accompany an FPV on its patrols. We have also made representations to the Taiwanese authorities in London and Taipei, as the majority of unlicensed vessels in Falklands waters are theirs. We shall continue to urge the Taiwanese authorities to bring their fleet under control.
We have received representations on this issue from FIG and its Fisheries Department, several MPs and from members of the public. Commercial operators who are licence-holders have made indirect representations.
We shall continue to support FIG in its attempts to combat illegal fishing.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application of the provisions of the White Paper, Partnership for Progress and Prosperity, concerning environmental protection to the waters within the Falkland Islands Fisheries Protection Zone; and what plans he has to ensure that the Falkland Fisheries Department is equipped to implement that policy. [81878]
§ Mr. Tony LloydOur stated objective in the White Paper: Partnership for Progress and Prosperity is to use the environment of Overseas Territories to provide benefits to the people in them, and to conserve our global heritage by managing sustainably all the Overseas Territories' natural resources. The Falkland Islands 181W Government administer the fisheries within their waters and the revenue from fishing licences is the mainstay of the Falklands economy. Effective management of the fishery helps in efforts to conserve fish stocks. Enforcement of the licensing regime is the responsibility of the Falkland Islands Fisheries Department which have two Fisheries Protection Vessels at their disposal. Ministers have authorised the Falkland Islands Government to purchase a 20mm Oerlikon Mk7A cannon for installation on one of the vessels to help deter unlicensed vessels from fishing in Falklands waters. There are no further plans at present.
§ Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to assist the Falklands Islands Government to meet its international obligations in terms of conserving living resources around its coastline, as set out in the White Paper, Partnership for Progress and Prosperity; and if he will make a statement. [81877]
§ Mr. Tony LloydAs stated in the White Paper: Partnership for Progress and Prosperity, British accession to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was extended to the Overseas Territories including the Falkland Islands. Article 61 of UNCLOS requires States to take measures to conserve living marine resources in their exclusive economic zones (EEZs). In the Falkland Islands, the requirement is met through the administration of its fishery. The Falkland Islands has no EEZ, nor does it have to declare one.
Article 61 also requires the Falkland Islands to co-operate within regional fisheries organisations to meet conservation and management aims. To promote such co-operation, Falkland Islands Government officials form part of the British delegation which attends regular meetings of the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission (SAFC) with the Argentines. SAFC is a forum for the exchange of information which assists with the management of fish stocks and in which ways of conserving of commercially important fish stocks in the South Atlantic are discussed. We continue to support the European Union in its efforts to encourage Argentina to help establish a South West Atlantic Multilateral Fisheries Agreement.