Australia
12. The Australian experience was that in 2001 there had been far too many boats operating during the July-August spawning period of orange roughy, as in 2000, which disrupted the spawning aggregation process. As a result the fish were not so vulnerable to capture, as they did not settle on known spawning “hills”. In some cases more than 20 vessels queued to take their shots at regular intervals on the same spot. Industry experience was that overall landings for 2001 would be lower than those for 2000 and below industry expectations.
13. In the case of alfonsino, the fishery was year-round and here too many operators did not fulfil their expectations in terms of profitability; especially those not possessing the highly technical experience needed to succeed in this aimed-trawl fishery, where gear time on the bottom could be measured in seconds, not hours. Informal industry reports indicated some boats caught <200 tonnes for five to six week trips.
14. There were concerns in Australia that the species they caught and recorded as bluenose (Hyperoglyphe antarctica) was in fact something else - even a different genus - in part because of its different keeping properties, its differing meristics (fin counts) and other morphological analyses. Scientific and DNA analyses of samples are currently underway. One reason this concern had not arisen before was the relatively small quantity of this species that had been taken.
15. It was noted that no further licences were being issued in Australia for vessels to operate in the study area - licences were restricted to those with past fishing history in the area. Provision of data was now obligatory and no longer voluntary. Australian vessels had carried marine observers on
16. Australian industry experience was that they had caught no Patagonian toothfish from the study area despite the reporting of 25 000 tonnes of this species being taken by other countries from this area in the last fishing season.
17. The Australian industry expected fewer vessels to be operating in the study area during the 2002 season, a consequence of their financial losses in earlier seasons. This may result in higher catch rates per boat as a consequence of less disturbance of spawning aggregations. Further, while there had been no expansion of the fishery outside the past areas, new hills and spawning areas were being found within the range of past operations and techniques of fishing on muddy to hard bottoms were being evolved. This had involved changes to gear configurations - such technical improvements will have the effect of increasing fishing fleet efficiency.
18. Operating experience showed that bycatch of non-target species was minimal and may not be a concern.
19. Invertebrate bycatch did occur in the Alfonsino Fishery, e.g. when the gear hit the bottom, not an intended practice as trawls are usually aimed at sounder marks and, as far as possible, the gear was kept off the bottom, at least when fishing was directed at alfonsinos. Bycatch in the orange roughy fishery was about twice that occurring in the Heard Island Patagonian Toothfish Trawl Fishery where bottoms were very hard. When the gear occasionally fouled the bottom, large quantities of bycatch and benthos would unavoidably be taken.
Recent History of the Australian Industry
20. Australian vessels had started to operate in the area on the Southwest Indian Ridge in 1997, then targeted orange roughy southeast of Madagascar. However effort expanded as South African and ex-New Zealand vessels also located the same stocks. Effort expanded from five vessels in the opening months to 20 in the next and 40 vessels within a year - all factory trawlers - with a significant affect on the aggregation behaviour of the orange roughy.
21. As with South African and New Zealand vessels, they developed their own mapping procedures, though commercial confidentiality regarding this information was high. Commercial fishing peaked in June-July 2000 and carried over to 2001. Many operators from the Northern Hemisphere arrived (reportedly including Spanish, Icelandic and Norwegian vessels) though in general these vessels were inexperienced in the techniques required. It was one view in Australia that many vessels lost money from the operations in the Southern Indian Ocean, and if fishing effort declines substantially, a sustainable fishery may be possible.
South Africa
22. Only two companies have been involved in the fishery - Irvin and Johnson and Viking Fisheries, and one of these on a small scale only. The fishery started in 1999 with three vessels; most fishing occurring on Melville Bank with some fishing on Walter's Shoal. In 2000, there were ten trips involving four vessels in a year-round operation; in 2001, there were six trips involving two vessels. Vessels must have a South African High-seas Licence and have a VMS. Scientific observers have been carried on some trips. Otoliths and other biological data have been collected.
23. Foreign vessels fishing in the study region are permitted to use South Africa ports; there were 49 port calls in 2000, 32 in 2001 and five so far in 2002. All were fishing orange roughy. South Africa has submitted data to the Secretariat of declarations of the fish product of foreign fishing vessels discharging or transiting through South African ports (see Meeting Document 02/04).
Ukraine
24. Exploratory surveys by the USSR in the study region started in the 1970s and these surveys and commercial fishing continued during the 1980s. Data are available for the exploratory surveys and commercial operations. In 1980 12 vessels took 6 000 tonnes of ruby fish ((Plagiogeneion rubiginosum), Cape bonnethmouth (Emmelichthys nitidus), bluenose warehou (Hyperoglyphe antarctica), violet warehou (Schedophilus velaini), imperial blackfish (Schediohilus ovalis) and rudderfish (Centrolophus niger). In 1981, there were 13 vessels, which caught 5 400 tonnes, mainly alfonsino (Beryx splendens), ruby fish and jack mackerel (Trachurus picturatus); in 1982, 5 vessels took 2 000 tonnes and in 1983, 9 vessels took 1 700 tonnes.
25. In later years it was apparent that the resource was overfished and fishing activity declined, though research cruises continued from time-to-time. By 1987, five vessels took 1 400 tonnes, mainly rubyfish and warehou. In the early 1990s activity increased, one vessel in 1992 took 1 600 tonnes, in 1993-1996 2-3 vessels caught 1 500-3 400 tonnes per year. Later fishing activity dropped to very low levels: one vessel operated with an annual catch of 1 500 to 3 300 tonnes. The last vessel fished in 2001 and took 800 tonnes prior to its being scrapped. These vessels operated on the Southwest Indian and Madagascar Ridge. There was some fishing on the Mid-Indian Ridge in 1981 (<500 tonnes of rubyfish taken) and also the Broken Ridge from 1981 to 1984 (550 tonnes taken of bluenose warehou, alfonsino, and violet warehou combined). Vessels fished in depths of 600-800 m, sometimes to 1 800 m but did not have the ability to fish the slopes.
26. Patagonian toothfish had been found in the trawl catches at the Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge north of the CCAMLR area, but not in commercial quantities (i.e. quantities of only several individuals).
Namibia
27. There has been a single vessel operating in a joint-venture with a French company. It targeted orange roughy and alfonsinos but has not been highly successful. It did one trip between September and November, 2001. Several trips were made by one vessel in 2000. The major species targeted was orange roughy of which 761 tonnes were landed. In 2001 two vessels fished in the area and landed a total of 191 tonnes of orange roughy.
28. Namibia has now passed the Marine Resources Act and Namibian vessels must report data regarding their high-seas catches. Marine observers can also be placed on the vessels.
Seychelles
29. Seychelles was neither prospecting, nor fishing, nor conducting research for deepwater stocks in the study area. There are two joint ventures with Mauritian and Réunion companies and these vessels will carry marine observers. There are Seychellois fisheries for deepwater snapper in waters £300m. No landings of the “study” species (i.e. Table 7, FAO 2001) were reported.
European Union
30. No data for deepwater species taken by EU vessels had been reported to the Commission, despite the obligation to do so and the belief that EU trawlers had been operating in the study area. It was noted that such data have been requested but have not been forthcoming. It was noted that probably the greatest chance of obtaining the data lay in direct contacts with those concerned, as there was little more the Commission could do to ensure compliance.
New Zealand
31. Fishing in the study area started in the mid-1990s by two vessels - and it is understood that they caught substantial quantities of alfonsino. In 1999 one vessel started targeting orange roughy. By the year 2000, eight vessels were operating and total catches exceeded 17 000 tonnes of which about 50 % were orange roughy, 25 % were alfonsinos and the remainder consisted of southern boarfish, cardinal fish and oreos.
32. By 2001 only two vessels remained in operation. Some smaller vessels were sold out from under the New Zealand flag and moved out of the New Zealand registry. The 2001 catch of all species was 1400 tonnes (incomplete year). Some fishing operations moved north from the Southwest Indian Ridge in 2000 to the Walter's Shoal region in 2001. Alfonsinos were caught on the Mozambique Escarpment, just outside the South African EEZ.
33. In the past, about 25 % of catch and effort data were voluntarily made available; another 55 % of the data are on record with companies that collected them voluntarily and about 20 % of the data are unavailable. Some collection of otoliths had been undertaken and some companies recorded length frequency data.
34. From May 2001, vessels were required to posses a highseas fishing permit and to report in detail about their fishing operations, including catch and effort data. Vessels are required to have VMSs and take marine observers on board as requested.
Japan
35. There had been little Japanese activity in the study area until 2001 when two vessels of about 1000 GRT began operations. These vessels targeted alfonsinos and orange roughy on seamounts along the Southwest Indian Ridge in depths of 400 - 1700m. From 2 March there had been 300 days and 1400 hours fishing, 460 tows resulting in a catch of 2900 tonnes of alfonsinos and 400 tonnes of roughy. Oreos had also been taken but there was uncertainty as to their species. Total catch of all species was 4100 tonnes. Details of these operations are given in Meeting Document 02/05.
36. In 2001 the fishery lasted from March to July, then effort decreased; CPUE dropped slightly. In 2002 there were two vessels belonging to one company. They stopped fishing at the end of April and returned to Japan, partly because of low market demand for alfonsinos.
37. No detailed tow-by-tow data are available for 2001: Japanese production was 5000 tonnes of alfonsinos of all types. Average fish size was 400g -1kg. In 1998 prices were high but have since dropped due to increased supply and falling demand. Further, fresh alfonsinos are landed from Japanese waters, which command market preference.
France
38. French deepwater fishing is currently restricted to their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and involves two trawlers and three longliners operating around Crozit, Kerguelen (FAO Area 58) and St Paul islands (FAO Area 51). The first French exploration outside the EEZ took place in 1983 on seamounts and a second exploration followed in 1996 in which alfonsinos and other species were targeted inside the topical St Paul Is. EEZ. Data are recorded by marine observers and vessels are required to have VMSs and complete log books. Permanent fisheries have been undertaken in New Amsterdam for bluenose or hapuku (Polyprion oxygmios), striped trumpeter (Leotris lineata) and morwong (Chilodactylus monodactylus). Experimental longlining was being undertaken within the EEZ - with encouraging results. Experimental trawling for alfonsinos is planned in the next few months, primarily within the EEZ. There is a bycatch of sharks in the longline fishery.
Other Countries
39. A variety of other countries have been reported to be fishing deeper-water demersal species in the Southern Indian Ocean. These have included Cook Islands, Taiwan - Province of China, Korea, Belize, Spain, Portugal and vessels flying the Argentine and Chilean flags. No other information is yet available about their operations. It was noted that their operators may be tracked through the Lloyds’ Register as a first step to getting information on their catch success and fishing effort.
