A LARGE Japanese tuna fishing fleet was reported to be standing of Irish fishery limits last night, following the Naval Service's detent ion of one of its vessels about 180 miles west of Galway Bay.
Minato Maru, which is being escorted to the Cork coast by the LE Aisling, is the first Japanese vessel to be apprehended by the Naval Service in Irish waters. It is also the first non EU vessel to be detained in two years, and the 28th vessel so far this year.
The ship was detained for alleged illegal entry into the 200 mile limit and alleged illegal fishing shortly after midday yesterday. It was first boarded by crew members of the LE Aisling under the command of Lieut Cdr Liam Donaldson on Tuesday night at a position of 520 53.9 north, 150 19.83 west.
The ship was reported to have 8.5 tonnes of tuna on board and between 65-70 nautical miles of longline gear in the water, enough to stretch from the Blaskets to the Aran islands.
Such was the quantity of gear that a 10 hour recovery operation finished only late last night. However, further longlining gear which does not belong to the detained vessel was identified within Irish territorial waters yesterday, as a fleet of 30 Japanese vessels were positioned just outside the 200 mile zone.
A joint Naval Service Air Corps surveillance operation, involving the LE Deirdre, commanded by Lieut Cdr Brian Hevers, and an Air Corps fishery patrol plane, has been deployed in the area to monitor the fleet's movements.
Last night the secretary of the Irish South and West Fishermen's Organisation. Mr Tom Hassett, said the case highlighted the international pressure on fish stocks and the need for the Naval Service to be given more resources.
Longlining is a passive form of fishing for species such as tuna, which involves setting monofilament lines, to which baited hooks are attached at intervals, on the sea surface. The gear extends over a wide sea area and is marked for later collection by a series of radio beacons with coded signals.
Tuna are surface feeding fish and tend to take bait at dusk or nightfall. Such is the high value of the species on the Japanese market that its ocean going fleet roams thousands of miles in search of the fish. Tuna has long been regarded as an unexploited species in Irish waters. Its value to the south west is put at £3 million, with considerable potential for expansion.
However, a developing Irish tuna fleet in the south west has been hit by EU restrictions on gill nets, the alternative form of gear used in this fishery, and conflicts with Spain.
Fewer than six Irish boats now fish for this species, compared with 20 two years ago, and last year the Irish tuna fleet accused the Minister for Defence and the Marine, Mr Barrett, of using the Naval Service to "hound" it, while up to 140 unregulated Spanish "flagships" continued to fish with EU knowledge.
