Fishermen want exclusive zones extended

Monday, 13 March 2006 21:26

Torres Strait Island fishermen want to increase the present exclusive fishing zones around selected Islands to include all the Islands and cays of the Torres Strait. The Island fishermen representatives, who took part in the Lobster Working Group meeting last week, were disappointed at the way the Protected Zone Joint Ahthority. (P.Z.J.A.) had been proceding up to now.
They passed a recommendation at the meeting on Thursday to take their claims forward to the Fisheries Management Advisory Committee (M.A.C.).
Maluwap Nona, Mura Badulgal (Badu) fishermen representative, says: “This is a positive step towards achieving our forefathers’ vision of self-determination. This is the next step after Mabo and the plaintiffs for the people of Zenadth Kes.”
Mr Nona said that during meetings with the PZJA last year legislation was passed to implement a 10 nautical mile closure around Murray (Mer), Darnley (Erub), Yorke (Masig), and Stephens (Ugar) Islands.
Mr Nona said the PZJA meetings that were chaired by the former Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Ian Macdonald and attended by the former State Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries, Henry Palaszczuk  were moving in the right direction at the time.
The Island fishermen now want to use this ruling as a precedent to move towards full Indigenous control of Torres Strait fishing.
“The ruling by PZJA in July last year set a precedent that the fishermen will use to have their proposal taken all the way to legislation.”
Mr Nona said: “Based on the Torres Strait treaty of 1978 under article 10 section 3, we are exercising our inalienable human rights to self-determination under chapter 11 of the United Nations charter.
“We are now calling on the Prime Minister John Howard and Eric Abetz (new Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation) to continue the magnificent work of Senator Macdonald and Henry Palaszczuk, and increase the 10nm exclusion zones to include all inhabited and uninhabited islands and cays under native title through out the Torres Strait.
“What fishing rights can mean for the Torres Strait people is immeasurable; our people need an industry that can take us off the welfare.
“We want full-time work in the fishing industry, not this on-and-off welfare situation we have now. Our people want to improve the situation; recent health and education reports have highlighted the problems associated with Welfare dependency.
“Our people are dying from chronic diseases 25 years younger than other Australians. When fishing gives us the leverage to achieve economic autonomy this will improve our quality of life and give us the mechanism to improve our situation within this country.”
Mr Nona said: “The Island fishermen are looking forward to working with Papua New Guinea in the future as we share the boundaries of the treaty in partnership with them.
“We also want to call for a partnership between the Industry and our people. We need to work with everybody to get through this bureaucracy and rhetoric that holds us all back.”
Mr Nona said he would like to give credit to Island delegation representatives for their support at the meeting.
Mr Charles David said: “In the future we hope more representatives from our Islands in the Torres Strait can be involved in the process. It’s difficult for only six of us to represent all the different groups and their interests.”  He hopes the TSRA would support him in this move.
Island fisherman Patrick Mills said: “We no longer want to cry in silence. No More,” he said.
At the conclusion of the three-day meeting, Mr Nona said; “The island fishermen representatives believed they were used. They were asked to support the other recommendations, including the 50:50 Quota and our main proposal was left unsupported by other parties at the meeting
“They used the working group to agree to the management view, but deliberately neglected the recommendation from the Islander representatives until late in the meeting. It was however eventually made a recommendation.”
Mr Nona said; “The Islander representatives’ worst fears are that once again the wording of their recommendation will be negated, diluted or put on the back burner.” 

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