By J. Brock (SARTMA)
Bill Rammell at Government House in the Falklands
The Head of the British Overseas Territories Department, Mr. Bill Rammell (BR) MP, has visited Ascension Island on his way to the Falklands and he acquainted himself on the problems Ascension has in fisheries protection. During an interview at Government House, he explained about where things stand now with that policy. Also at the interview was H. E. the Governor Mr. Howard Pearce (HP). I began by asking a general question about what he saw at the Falkland Islands Government Fisheries Department.
SARTMA: The Falkland Islands Government probably has one of the world’s best -fisheries. Taking that in mind, is a well-managed fishery more the exception rather than the rule in the other places where you’ve been?
BR: I think it’s invidious to get into detailed comparisons. I am not going to get into the business of comparing the Falklands with other individual countries. But I do think the Falklands have a very successful fish management regime and you can see that in terms of the fish that are actually caught inside the legal regime that has been established. The proceeds to the Islands are very significant, indeed. I have just been shown around this morning. The attention to detail both legalistically and in terms of science is quite impressive.
SARTMA: We. Of course, can do something about poaching in our waters but there are other British Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic who don’t have the infrastructure or the money to afford a proper fisheries protection regime. Have you thought about sharing resources between these Islands? It could be physical resources or advice, etc.
BR: Taking Ascension Island as an example, I stopped off there on my way down here, resources are always an issue wherever you go in whatever part of the world in whatever country. And I can’t give you the sense that where currently there isn’t policing that we are suddenly turn up and make that happen. However, certainly, the Royal Navy, where they do identify poaching taking place do actually inform on that basis. My understanding is that in Ascension Island waters at the moment, they don’t have the legal ability to intercept illegal fishing. The Royal Navy can certainly take action to help. We do look to co-operate but I can’t say that we have a magic solution that in every overseas territory we can provide additional policing as resources are far over stretched even in much larger economies such as that of the UK.
HP: I think I would just like to add and indeed make it a point that the resources here – the two fishery vessels here are Falkland Islands Government resources and not British Government resources. They are paid for by the Falkland Islands Government and they are shared with the Government of South Georgia for their fisheries patrol. So they are pretty well used but they are the property of the Falkland Islands Government and not the British Government.
This was Mr. Rammell’s first visit to the South Atlantic and, indeed, outside of Britain, since he took office. Due to Mr. Rammell’s newness in the job, the interview was more general but nonetheless quite revealing about what his department thinks about curbing poaching in the South Atlantic.
