Pirate fishermen sell illegal haul to Europeans

Deutsche Welle, 11 October 2012

An investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation has found that nine out of 10 trawlers caught fishing illegally in Sierra Leone send their catch to Europe. The government is working to fight the problem.

A two-year investigation by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) has found evidence of illegally caught fish entering the European market. The British-based environmental and human rights charity says nine out of 10 trawlers caught fishing illegally in Sierra Leone are actually accredited to export their catch to Europe.

The EJF claims that West Africa has the highest levels of illegal fishing in the world, and says it found evidence of bribery, attacks on local fisherman, the use of banned fishing equipment and trawlers fleeing to neighboring countries to avoid fines. The group is calling for vessels to be blacklisted, and it wants the European Union to strengthen regulations to stop illegal catches from entering Europe. 

The government in Freetown is
struggling to combat illegal fishing

In less than two years, the EJF has received 252 reports from local fisherman of pirate fishing along the coast.

"The problems are many," Siaka Swarary, a local fisherman from the outskirts of the capital, Freetown, told DW. He says the trawlers that operate far out at sea are ruining the livelihoods of the local fisherman.

"We are disturbed by the bigger trawlers. Sometimes we go one, two, three days [without a] catch." Swarary says his brother lost a fisherman at sea last year when a trawler hit his boat at night and didn't stop to help, leaving the man to drown.

"Our wives, our children…everyone is suffering because we are surviving from this fishing. Without fishing we cannot pay school fees for our children or take care of our family," he said.

A blow to the economy

Sierra Leone loses around $30 million (23.4 million euros) every year through illegal fishing. For a country trying to rebuild itself after more than a decade of civil war, it's crushing for the economy.

Soccoh Kabia, the minister of fisheries and marine resources, says the main problem is that trawlers come inside the exclusion zone – an area reserved for local fisherman. 

Many subsistance fishermen are
just barely gettting by

"Many, not all of them, have disregarded that regulation with impunity and have often threatened the lives of fishermen, destroyed their gear, destroyed the environment. The [fish] spawning ground is in that area, so they have definitely affected the development of those areas," he said.

But Kabia, who has been working closely with the EJF and other partners, says things are slowly improving and that they have already collected more than $1 million in fines over the last 18 months. Last year, the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program, supported by the World Bank, began its work to combat illegal fishing.

"Recently, the government of Liberia had a vessel that escaped prosecution there, and they contacted our minister here in Sierra Leone to see if we could assist in arresting this vessel," said Salieu Sankoh, the program's national project coordinator in Sierra Leone. "We were able to arrest [the crew] and send [them] back to Liberia, which to us is a big feather in our cap."

More needs to be done

The EJF says more needs to be done to help West African coastal states reinforce their own security systems, so that more of these arrests can be made. It's calling for the EU to strengthen regulations, as well as the penalties for illegal fishing.

Swarary and his fellow fishermen have noticed fewer trawlers, but he says they still come at night, under the cover of darkness. He says he's doing everything he can to keep his children from following in his footsteps.

"It's a very hard life. I'm suffering so much," he said. "I don't want my children following me. That's why I prefer to suffer myself and put them [through] school, and maybe after school they will get a better job."

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Fishermen return from their night's labours. About 1 million

 people in Senegal depend on the industry for food.

Photograph: Randy Olson/National Geographic/Getty Images

Fishermen from Gaza risk their lives at work

Supreme Court denies Chevron $19bn Ecuador appeal

BBC News, 9 October 2012

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 two oil company in the US

The US Supreme Court has declined to block a judgement from an Ecuadorian court that a US oil firm pay billions in damages for pollution in the Amazon.

Chevron was fighting a ruling that it must pay $18.2bn (£11.4bn) in damages, a sum increased to $19bn in July.

It is the latest move in a decades-long legal wrangle between Texaco, bought by Chevron in 2001, and the people of the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador.

The decision could affect other oil firms accused of pollution.

The high court did not explain why it decided to reject the appeal from Chevron.

The case claimed that Texaco contaminated land between 1964 and 1992, and has triggered several other lawsuits in courts within the US and elsewhere.

But Chevron has said it believes the judgement, handed down by a court in Ecuador in February 2011, is fraudulent and not enforceable under New York law.

In March 2011 a court in New York issued an injuction that blocked the judgement. But it was overturned in January this year by an appeals court, which said Chevron had challenged the judgement prematurely.

The appeals court also said the New York judge could not stop other, foreign courts from enforcing the judgement - something the Ecuadorian plaintiffs are working to do in Canada and Brazil.

The judgement originally ordered $8.6bn in environmental damages, but that was more than doubled because the oil company did not apologise publicly.

"While Chevron is disappointed that the court denied our petition, we will continue to defend against the plaintiffs' lawyers' attempts to enforce the fraudulent Ecuadorian judgment, and to further expose their misconduct," Chevron said in an email statement.

The oil firm has also challenged the judgement under an international trade agreement between the US and Ecuador, due to begin in November.

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Fishermen from Gaza risk their lives at work

Deutsche Welle, 6 October 2012

The fishermen from Gaza have a dangerous job. Israeli soldiers, often armed to the gills, obstruct their work. Last week, a 22-year-old fisherman was shot dead.

It's early morning in Gaza, and the fish market is buzzing with activity. The fishermen have put their catch on display along the coastal road on the Mediterranean beach. Small sardines are shimmering silver in blue plastic tubs. There are also a few shrimp in the tubs, but there are hardly any bigger fish on sale at the improvised marketplace.

The fish market in Gaza City early in the morning

Amid the haggling, Ahmed has brought 25 boxes of fish to the market today - he was only able to catch small sardines. And even for them he had to drive far to the south tip of the Gaza Strip. Here in the North off the coast of Gaza City, the sea is depleted. There are not even sardines here anymore. In order to catch anything Ahmed has his boat down in the harbour of Rafah, on the Egyptian border.

"At five in the afternoons I drive to Rafah," he said. "From there I go out to sea to fish. I come back the next morning around 5 and drive back to Gaza City."

The sea has been sealed off

But no matter whether Ahmed goes fishing in the North or in the South of the Gaza Strip, he is not allowed to go far because the Israeli navy patrols the sea. The navy ensures that no one goes beyond the three-nautical-mile (5.5-kilometer) restricted area that Israel has imposed on the Gaza Strip.

"In the past, before the Intifada, we were allowed far out onto the sea," Ahmed said. "They reduced that to 15 nautical miles, then nine, then eight and now it's only three."

The Oslo agreement between Israel and the PLO set the fishing zone limit at 20 nautical miles. But over the years, Israel has tightened the blockade of the Gaza Strip. Since 2009, fishermen have only been allowed to leave the coast for a maximum of about three nautical miles.

Israeli officials have said the three-nautical mile policy is in place because fishing boats have been used for smuggling arms and other security offenses.

Shrinking the fishing zone has had a major impact on catches. In 2011, 383 tons of sardine were caught. Back in 2008, when the fishermen were still allowed to fish six miles off the coast, they caught 1,963 tons. Some 3,600 fishermen, their families and the processing industries are affected - up to 70,000 people overall.

But limiting the fishermen to the three-nautical-mile-zone has also caused overfishing in the areas that are close to the coast. In the long run, this threatens the stocks. Many fishermen from the Gaza Strip have already given up their profession. Instead, they now buy fish from the Egyptian fish farms and import them to Gaza.

On the fish marekt in Gaza, the fishermen put their meagre catch on display

Danger on the sea

On Rafah beach, Muhammad and Khalil pulled their small boat, a so-called "hassake," out onto the sea and started the engine. The two cousins used to have two boats. But only one is left - the other one was made unseaworthy by the Israeli navy who shot at it a few months ago, the pair said.

"It happened on July 6th, at four in the morning," Muhammad said. "We went out about three miles, until the border of the permitted fishing zone, where we cast our nets."

An hour later, they said, an Israeli patrol boat came and told them to go out further still. But the two fishermen suspected a trap and instead hauled in the nets and tried to make their way back to the beach. But the Israeli gun boat chased the two fishermen and told them to stop.

The two cousins tried to flee. "Then they fired shots," said Muhammad. "They destroyed the engine of Khalil's boat and I had to tow him, but then they also fired shots at me." 

In the waters off the coast, only small
fish are left

The two men reached the border unscathed but with a destroyed engine. But not all fishermen manage to escape the Israeli soldiers successfully. One week ago, a young man was killed in an Israeli attack, and his brother was injured.

An Israeli army spokesman said their soldiers had fired on two Palestinians who had entered a restricted zone near the security barrier separating Israel and the Gaza Strip in the Beit Lahiha sector.

"The soldiers spotted these Palestinians, who continued to advance towards the barrier in a prohibited area despite warning shots. Then the soldiers opened fire on them," the spokesman said according to the AFP news agency. He denied that the Palestinians had approached from the sea.

Fishermen are arrested out on the open sea and are towed to the Israeli harbor of Ashdod. Muhammad said he had been arrested several times, his boat has been confiscated. On most occasions, Israeli soldiers have sent him back after a few days with a warning not to go out fishing any more. But Muhammad and his cousin can't stop fishing. About 40 family members depend on their work for their survival.

Support from foreign activists

The non-governmental organization Euro-Mid has committed itself to document human rights violations against Palestinians. Between January 2011 and April 2012, Euro-Mid counted 150 assaults against fishermen. Sixty fishermen were arrested, amongst them nine minors. Twelve men were injured by shots. Thirteen boats were confiscated, nets were destroyed or damaged and many of the men were threatened and humiliated. 

Rosa Schiano wants to protect the
fishermen

Activists from abroad support the fishermen of Gaza. They accompany the small fishing boats and try to keep the Israeli navy from launching attacks. Rosa Schiano of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Gaza regularly accompanies fishermen and documents the assaults by Israel's war vessels against the fishing boats from the Gaza Strip.

"Israeli war vessels tend to arrive at very high speed and cause big waves around the fishing boats," the Italian Schiano said. "The soldiers fire water canons or shoot with their rifles. They aim at the water, too, to scare away the fish. They tear the fishing nets apart and obstruct the fishermen's work."

Last July, the soldiers destroyed the Olivia, a boat used by international human rights activists. Since the incident, activists have joined the fishermen on the smaller boats. Schiano said she doesn't want to give up and plans to continue accompanying the fishermen on the sea.

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guardian.co.uk, Harriet Sherwood and Mat Heywood, Sunday 24 July 2011

Israeli leaders meet Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in NYC

This video is banned for broadcast on News Networks in USA, Israel and Europe. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel and US does not want you to see. Jewish leaders and prominent businessmen Greet Ahmadinejad with Inshallah and Bless him for long life. Jews have lived in Iran for thousands of years. Over 50,000 Jews live in Teheran. Israeli Jews Love Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Please also watch http://www.youtube.com/watch.....

"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

" ..... If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening. ....."

(Religions – Zionism - March 1, 2012 - Matthew Channelled by Suzanne Ward)

9. It can be no other way—simply, this is the physics that governs life in this universe. As Earth continues apace into successively higher planes, nothing with low vibrations in any form—physical bodies, subversive plans, theft, dishonesty, unjust laws and imprisonment, bigotry, cruel customs and deeds—can survive.

10. Moving on, no, it will not be quite like religions being “totally discarded and replaced by universal laws in the Golden Age.” When the truths come forth that science and spirit are one and the same and that religious dogmas were originated by early leaders of church and state to control the masses, people whose consciousness has risen beyond the constraints of third density will adhere to the spiritual aspects of their respective religions and the devised, controlling aspects will fall by the wayside.

11. One of the truths to come forth is that Zionism, which by dark intent has been made synonymous with Judaism, actually is a bellicose political movement within the Illuminati, and its aim for more than six decades has been to create conflict and instability in the entire Middle East. Zionists, who have wielded powerful influence within and behind major governments and their military forces, do NOT represent the Jewish peoples in Israel or anywhere else. And, like all other Illuminati factions, they have been committed to that cabal’s goal of global domination.

12. Although Semites are of diverse national origins and religions, the Zionists have been successful in convincing many that “anti-Semitic” is exclusively prejudice against the Jewish peoples and opposition to Israel’s right to defend itself from its “enemies.” By means of that blatant distortion, they obtained not only world sympathy, but also massive defense funding from Israel’s allies, most especially the United States, all of which served to increase the Illuminati’s vast profits from their industrial-military machine.

13. In addition to controlling the masses through dogmatic teachings, religions have served the dark purpose of divisiveness to such an extent that it resulted in centuries of trauma and bloodshed. Witness the Crusades, wars between Catholics and Protestants, pogroms against Jews, executions of “blasphemous” individuals who refused to “recant.”  (Read More …)

Israel’s Netanyahu and the Jewish Neocons in America Vow Revenge

Israel campaign throws spotlight on Jewish refugees from Arab lands

Great Barrier Reef loses more than half its coral cover

Population explosion of coral-eating starfish, storms and acidification of oceans causing rapid decline, study finds

guardian.co.uk, Alok Jha, science correspondent, Monday 1 October 2012

Coral cover on Australia's Great Barrier Reef has declined by more than half 

over the last 27 years according to marine scientists Link to this video

Coral cover in the Great Barrier Reef has dropped by more than half over the last 27 years, according to scientists, a result of increased storms, bleaching and predation by population explosions of a starfish which sucks away the coral's nutrients.

At present rates of decline, the coral cover will halve again within a decade, though scientists said the reef could recover if the crown-of-thorns starfish can be brought under control and, longer term, global carbon dioxide emissions are reduced.

"This latest study provides compelling evidence that the cumulative impacts of storms, crown-of-thorns starfish (Cots) and two bleaching events have had a devastating effect on the reef over the last three decades," said John Gunn, chief executive of the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

Coral reefs are an important part of the marine ecosystem as sources of food and as protection for young fish. They are under threat around the world from the effects of bleaching, due to rising ocean temperatures, and increasing acidification of the oceans, which reduces the corals' ability to build their calcium carbonate structures.

The Great Barrier Reef is the most iconic coral reef in the world, listed as a Unesco world heritage site and the source of $A5bn (£3.2bn) a year to the Australian economy through tourism. The observations of its decline are based on more than 2,000 surveys of 214 reefs between 1985 and 2012. The results showed a decline in coral cover from 28% to 13.8% – an average of 0.53% a year and a total loss of 50.7% over the 27-year period. The study was published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal (subscription).

Two-thirds of the coral loss has occurred since 1998 and the rate of decline has increased in recent years, averaging around 1.45% a year since 2006. "If the trend continued, coral cover could halve again by 2022," said Peter Doherty, a research fellow at the institute.

Tropical cyclones, predation by Cots, and bleaching accounted for 48%, 42%,and 10% of the respective estimated losses. In the past seven years the reef has been affected by six major cyclones. Cyclone Hamish, for example, ran along the reef, parallel to the coast for almost 930 miles (1,500km), leaving a trail of destruction much greater than the average cyclone, which usually crosses the reef on a path perpendicular to the coast.

The starfish problem was first recorded in 1962 at Green Island off Cairns. "When we say outbreaks, we mean explosions of Cots populations to a level where the numbers are so large that they end up eating upwards of 90% of a reef's coral," Gunn said. "Since 1962 there have been major outbreaks every 13-14 years."

The evidence suggests that outbreaks of Cots start two or three years after major floods in northern rivers.

In September, scientists at the International Union for Conservation of Nature announced that Caribbean coral reefs are on the verge of collapse, with less than 10% of the reef area showing live coral cover. The collapse was due to environmental issues, including over-exploitation, pollution and climate change.

David Curnick, marine and freshwater programme co-ordinator at the Zoological Society of London, said many of the most endangered coral species around the world were also under severe pressure from the aquarium trade.

"Corals are notoriously hard to propagate in captivity and therefore the trade is still heavily dependent on harvesting from the wild."."

He said the results of the Great Barrier Reef survey were not surprising and the challenge for conservationists was to limit the localised threats to give reefs a chance to recover and develop resilience against the effects of climate change. "This is challenging but entirely achievable and there are many community-led projects around the world demonstrating this."

Corals can recover if given the chance. But this is slow – in the absence of cyclones, Cots and bleaching, the Great Barrier Reef can regrow at a rate of 2.85% a year, the scientists wrote. Removing the Cots problem alone would allow coral cover to increase at 0.89% a year.

Reducing Cots means improving water quality around the rivers at the northern end of the reef to reduce agricultural run-off – high levels of nutrients flowing off the land feed and allow high survival of Cots larvae. Another option is some form of biological control of populations – Gunn said there were promising results from research on naturally occurring pathogens that could keep Cots in check, but it was not ready to be applied in the field.

He said the future of the Reef lay partly in human hands. "We can achieve better water quality, we can tackle the challenge of crown-of-thorns, and we can continue to work to ensure the resilience of the reef to climate change is enhanced. However, its future also lies with the global response to reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The coral decline revealed by this study – shocking as it is – has happened before the most severe impacts of ocean warming and acidification associated with climate change have kicked in, so we undoubtedly have more challenges ahead."

A fishing boat off the coast of Alaska. (September 19, 2012)

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“2011 and Beyond” - What you are seeing, and why - Jan 16, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Text version)

"....Let us just talk about the ocean for a moment. We won't even get to what's happening in the air and what mammals might experience. Let's just speak of the ocean. Have you heard about the salmon? What has your science warned you against? You're overfishing! The sea is dying. The coral is dying. The reefs are going away. You're not seeing the food chain that used to be there. You've overfished everything. Fishing quotas have been set up to help this. Oh, all those little people in the red room - they don't know about the purple. Red people only know about the red paradigm.

Did you hear about the salmon recently? There's too many of them! In the very place where quotas are in place so you won't overfish, they're jumping in the boats! Against all odds and any projections from environmentalists or biologists, they're overrunning the oceans in Alaska - way too many fish.

What does that tell you? Is it possible that Gaia takes care of itself? That's what it tells you! Perhaps this alignment is going to keep humanity fed. Did anybody think of this? What if Gaia is in alliance with you? What if the increase in consciousness that raised your DNA vibration has alerted Gaia to change the weather cycle and get ready to feed humanity? Are you looking at the ocean where the oil spill occurred? It's recovering in a way that was not predicted. What's happening?

The life cycle itself is being altered by the temperature change of the ocean and much of what you have believed is the paradigm of life in the sea is slowly changing. A new system of life is appearing, as it has before, and is upon you in your lifetime. It will compliment what you know and expose you to a new concept: Gaia regularly refreshes the life cycle on Earth. ...."

Hong Kong ferry disaster kills 37

Eyewitnesses say one vessel went down within 10 minutes of the collision off Lamma Island

guardian.co.uk, Annemarie Evans in Hong Kong,  Tuesday 2 October 2012

One of the boats is pulled out of the water near Yung Shue Wan on
Lamma Island. Photograph: Chinafotopress/Getty Images

At least 37 people have been killed in a ferry collision in Hong Kong, prompting the territory's chief executive to announce an inquiry into the incident.

The collision on Monday evening took place off Lamma Island, which lies about a mile south-west of Hong Kong.

One of the ferries, used by Hong Kong Electric, had 124 people on board as it carried them towards Hong Kong where they were due to watch the National Day fireworks in Victoria harbour.

The other ferry, owned by Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry (HKKF), was returning with passengers from Hong Kong Island.

Rescue work was continuing on Tuesday as officials said there may be passengers trapped inside the half-sunken HK Electric ferry. The collision happened at 8.30pm local time, after which the HKKF vessel continued into Yung Shue Wan harbour on Lamma.

The HK Electric boat was allowed to carry up to 200 passengers, the company said. According to passengers, the ship went down very fast – within 10 minutes of the collision – giving any passengers trapped inside very little time to escape. There were several dozen people in the water to be rescued, police reports said.

A number of emergency boats appeared quickly on the scene as two helicopters shone beams over the site. Twenty-eight people were confirmed dead at the scene, as injured and shocked passengers were transported to hospitals on Hong Kong Island.

A number of passengers on the HKKF boat suffered injuries as they were thrown from their seats with the impact, but there were no deaths reported.

Hong Kong resident Tina Tucker, who was staying with friends in Pak Kok on Lamma Island, described what she could see from the shore. "I saw the bow sticking out of the water, Titanic style," she said. "The helicopters were circling with big searchlights across the surrounding water as were a lot of smaller boats with lights."

"There was a large crane on a big tug trying to lift it this morning, but they didn't get very far, so they've now brought in a larger boat. There are a number of sampans and junks that have come for a look, but the police have been patrolling and keeping them at a distance."

Chris Head, 48, a Lamma resident of 18 years who was on the HKKF ferry, told the SouthChina Morning Post: "Initially we were trying to put on our life jackets so we were more concerned with that. But after a few minutes, probably about five, I could see that the end – I couldn't tell whether it was the bow or the stern – of the boat was sticking vertically out of the water."

Hong Kong largely has an efficient transport system, and incidents involving fatalities are very rare.

Hong Kong's chief executive, CY Leung, promised an inquiry into the incident. He arrived at South Horizons towards the south side of Hong Kong Island on Monday evening to receive updates from the emergency services. Other government officials went to the hospitals to see the passengers as they came in.

The Lamma Strait is a busy shipping channel. There were more ferries than usual scheduled on Monday as it was a public holiday to celebrate China's National Day, which was also part of an extended weekend marking the mid-autumn festival.

Related Article:

Hong Kong fatal boat collision leads to arrests

Indonesians Hack into Beached Whales in Mass Stranding

Jakarta Globe, October 02, 2012

Villagers look at dying pilot whale stranded on the shore of Savu island in
 East Nusa Tenggara province on October 2, 2012. Fourty-four pilot whales lay
 beached on the remote Savu island in a mass stranding that left at least 41
 dead and several hacked to bits by locals, an official said. The whales beached
 themselves late on October 1 on the island, where there is a culture of whale
hunting for consumption. (AFP Photo/Jessica Ferdi)

               

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Locals on a remote island in eastern Indonesia on Tuesday cut up several dead pilot whales for food after a mass stranding that killed at least 41 of the mammals, an official said.

A total of 44 pilot whales beached themselves late Monday on the island of Savu in East Nusa Tenggara province, where there is a culture of whale hunting for consumption.

“Locals have hacked into around 11 whales so far and will probably use the flesh for meat,” Savu fishery office chief Dominggus Widu Hau told AFP.

“When local fishermen found them before midnight, they were all still alive. But it was already late and there were not enough people to help push them back in.”

More than a dozen fishermen, navy and police officers were still struggling Tuesday afternoon to keep the three surviving whales alive.

“We managed to push them back into the water, but they returned to the beach,” Hau said.

Jakarta Animal Aid Network identified the mammals, which lay stranded around 150 meters (492 feet) from the coastline, as pilot whales. Those beached were between two and five meters long, Hau said.

Pilot whales commonly become stranded en masse since they stick together in large groups, especially if one is sick, according to marine biologists.

Agence France-Presse