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Business news for Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Source: Business 24
2020-11-04
Lu Rong Yuan Yu 959
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) accused a Chinese vessel of repeatedly engaging in illegal fishing off the coast of Ghana after the vessel was arrested a second time for the same crime.
The fisheries watchdog said the trawler, Lu Rong Yuan Yu 959, was detained last month for carrying on board a catch that was 90 percent made up of juvenile fish below the minimum landing size.
According to EJF, this is the second known arrest of the vessel, and records indicate that it is owned by the same company that arrested the other vessel twice for nearly identical violations.
The lobby group has therefore urged the Ghanaian authorities to undertake a full and transparent investigation and to urgently reconsider the role of foreign ownership of ships in a trade that is reserved for locals.
The EFJ said Lu Rong Yuan Yu 959 was detained in September this year by the Ghana Navy and Maritime Police for possession of undersized fish, accounting for 90 percent of a single set.
“This was not his first arrest. In April 2015, the ship was arrested for the same crime of carrying undersized fish and fined ¢ 200,000 (about US $ 50,000), ”said EJF.
Industrial trawlers that catch significant amounts of juvenile fish are a major concern in Ghana’s fisheries sector. Catching these fish, which are often sold to local fishing communities as part of the destructive and illegal saiko trade, devastates already severely depleted fish populations.
EJF said the owner of the boat, Rongcheng Ocean Fishery Company, is also listed as the owner of the Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, which was arrested in June 2019 for catching undersized fish and using illegal nets and was fined $ 1 million. in October 2019.
The boat failed to pay the fine and was re-licensed to fish before being arrested again in May 2020 for nearly identical offenses. The ship was then re-licensed while awaiting a hearing on the two cases, the watchdog said.
An estimated 90 percent of trawlers fishing in Ghana are owned by Chinese corporations that use Ghanaian front companies to obtain registration, EJF claimed.
He said the opaque ownership deals are not only illegal, but have also allowed boat owners to escape scrutiny for illegal practices that rife in Ghana’s trawling industry.
A minimum fine of US $ 1 million must be paid when a fishing vessel is found to have brought undersized fish on board, in accordance with the Ghana Fisheries Act 2002 (Act 625), as amended by the Fisheries Act ( Amendment) of 2014 (Law 880). The fine increases to $ 2-4 million for a second offense, along with suspension of the boat’s fishing license for six months from the date of conviction.
Therefore, according to Ghanaian law, the Rongcheng Ocean Fishing Company should be fined at least $ 4 million for the two most recent offenses, if found guilty, and both vessels should have their licenses suspended, EJF said.
The Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, arrested twice, is one of the vessels owned by Rongcheng Ocean Fishery Company.
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