Inpesca Appeals Against USD 1.2 Million Fine On Illegal Fishingff

Source: All Africa

The Spanish fishing company Inpesca, fined last month for illegal fishing in Mozambican waters, has lodged an appeal against the fine with Mozambique's Administrative Tribunal.

The boat in question, the “Txori Argi”, was seized on 14 March when it was fishing for tuna inside Mozambique's Exclusive Economic Zone. It was ordered to put into the northern port of Nacala, where inspectors found 1,200 tonnes of tuna on board the ship - but it is believed that most of this was caught outside Mozambican waters.

According to the Deputy Minister of Fisheries, Gabriel Muthisse the vessel was released after Inpesca, issued a bank guarantee, promising to pay within ten days the fine of 34 million meticais (about 1.2 million US dollars) imposed for the offence.

According to a report in the Beira daily paper “Diario de Mocambique”, the appeal against the fine entered the Administrative Tribunal on 4 April.

However, the National Director of Fisheries Inspection, Manuel Castiano, says that his institution has not yet received any notification from the Tribunal. The Fisheries Ministry has simply asked Inpesca's bank whether the fine has been paid.

“If the fine is not paid, we shall list this vessel as an illegal fishing boat with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission”, Castiano warned.

The excuse given by the captain of the “Txori Argi” is that he entered Mozambican waters inadvertently. He claims the boat was chasing a school of tuna, and the ocean currents dragged it into the Mozambican Exclusive Economic Zone.

Inpesca has four other vessels which, unlike the “Txori Argi”, are duly licensed to fish in Mozambican waters. However, the Fisheries Ministry has now banned them from operating.