PM Transcripts

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K PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 2 NOVEMBER 1990
The Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air
Force are to make joint surveillance flights to scrutinise
the activities of driftnet fishing fleets in the South-West
Pa~ cific.
I launched the joint surveillance flights initiative in
Auckland in February this year with my then New Zealand
counterpart, Geoffrey Palmer, at the signing of the
" Convention for the Prohibition of Fishing with Long
Driftnets in the South Pacific".
The signing of the Convention and commissioning of the
surveillance flights are further indications of Australia's
commitment to rid the South Pacific of the driftnetting
fleets. Australia, along with New Zealand and the South
Pacific nations, has a proud record on this issue beginning
with our efforts which led to the incorporation of the
Tarawa Declaration in the 1989 South Pacific Forum
Communique. The international push culminated in the
res~ olution on driftnetting passed by the United Nations
General Assembly in November last year.
Through the surveillance flights, Australia and New Zealand
wil. l provide South Pacific Forum countries, via the Forum
Fisheries Agency, with important data on the frequency and
range of driftnetting activities. The program schedule will
be conducted by the Australian Fisheries Service and the New
Zealand Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries in
conjunction with the Forum Fisheries Agency.
The surveillance operation starting from this month, the
beginning of the driftnet season will maintain the
pressure which has already led Distant Water Fishing Nations
( DWFNs) to respond to the concerns of South Pacific nations
by agreeing to abide by the terms of the United Nations
resolution on driftnet fishing. It was in response to this
pressure that, earlier this year, Japan suspended
driftnetting by its fleets in the South Pacific. Taiwan has
also reduced itsfleet numbers but has indicated it will
continue some driftnet fishing this season.
The RAAF and the RNZAF will coordinate flights of P3 Orion
aircraft over the Tasman Sea until the driftnet season ends
in Mlarch.
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