A STATEMENT released by the Dutch owners of the super trawler, the Geelong Star, claims that financial reasons are why the ship has returned to Holland.
Parlevliet & Van der Plas BV, the owners of 13 freezer trawlers operating worldwide, released the statement on Tuesday just hours after the news broke in Australia that the Geelong Star had left Australia for good.
“The reason is that we cannot achieve a financial commercial agreement with the local partners in Australia,” the statement said.
“The management regrets that we cannot continue this fishing operation, partly because of the very healthy local pelagic stocks. The fisheries management in Australia is one of the most sustainable in the world.
The Small Pelagic Fishery Industry Association (SPFIA), perhaps unaware of the earlier statement from Parlevliet & Van der Plas BV, released a statement on its Facebook Page yesterday claiming that the Geelong Star would be back and was only headed offshore for repairs.
This appears to directly contradict both AFMA and the Dutch owners of the ship.
“The vessel is reflagged from Australia to Dutch flag and is on its way to IJmuiden (Netherlands). The old name of the ship is reinstated: KW 172 Dirk Dirk,” Parlevliet & Van der Plas BV said.
AFMA also confirmed that the ship is currently unable to fish in Australian Commonwealth waters.
“AFMA understands the Geelong Star is no longer Australian flagged, therefore no longer able to operate in compliance with the Fisheries Management Act 1991, and no longer under Australian jurisdiction,” said a spokesperson from AFMA.
In another interesting twist, a Senate Report was released yesterday that recommended the Federal Government ban all factory freezer trawlers from operating in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery.
The Senate Report, which focused on environmental, social and economic factors, also suggested that the Australian public had lost confidence in Commonwealth fisheries management.
