Liability, awards and settlements

8.7, illegal fishing ban

New Zealand: fishing (general) Paloma V (1016 gt, built 2004), which docked in a New Zealand port with fish caught illegally in Antarctic waters, could be banned by 34 countries after losing a court bid to keep its actions secret. A New Zealand government statement said that the Paloma V would be reported to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and could be blacklisted by all of its 34 members. Court records show the vessel docked at Auckland on May 16 with 98 tons of Antarctic toothfish and NZ Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said information was found linking it to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The owners of Paloma V, Omunkete Fishing (Pty) Ltd, had asked the High Court to stop the government from notifying CCAMLR and seeking its blacklisting. The records show that the vessel is an Uruguayan joint venture of Mabenal SA and Gongola Fishing (Pty) Limited and is controlled by a Spanish company, Vidal Armadones. New Zealand authorities were unable to detain the vessel, which sailed for Namibia with its cargo, but the High Court threw out the owners bid for secrecy. The recommendation to blacklist the Paloma V would now be considered at CCAMLR’s annual meeting in October.