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WATERFRONT BUSINESS In brief… Monster bluefin A monster bluefin tuna caught off the New Zealand coast has fetched $30,000 at auction. But it is not yet clear how much of that the Whitianga fishermen will get to take home. The giant Pacific bluefin tuna, caught off the East Cape, had a live weight of 415kg and a gutted weight of 361kg. The fish was caught by a three-man crew aboard the 20m longline fishing boat Karina B. The boat is owned by Whitianga father and son Dugal and Wayne Macfarlane. Wayne, the boat's skipper, said the fish took about half an hour to land. It went to auction on Saturday and Wayne said they had been hoping for a little more. "It's not as much per kilo as we've had in the past. We have had smaller fish go for the same amount. But it turns out the size may have been more of a hindrance in this market. There wasn't the interest for such a big fish on that particular day." It is not known who bought the tuna but it was airfreighted to Japan just days after it was caught. Wayne said shipping costs and customs fees and the like would still have to come from the total price but their business would still get to see a significant "hunk of change." "We've been doing this so long, we're used to fluctuations in markets and prices on the day. It's a fairly good price." Tuakana tows Sparta The Tuakana, Port Taranaki's largest seagoing tug was sent out to take the 48m Sparta back to the port for repairs. In early April the Russian-owned fishing vessel Sparta was on its way to Fiji when due to engine trouble it broke down off North Cape. In 2011 Sparta hit an iceberg in Antarctic waters and was rescued by efforts from the New Zealand Rescue Co-ordination Centre. Notice of Liquidation… Shipco Marine Constructors Limited 1531059 notice of liquidation was given on March 15 by Bennett & Associates, Whangarei. Shipco Marine Constructors held offices at 57 Clyde Street, Whangarei. Any written objection to the removal of the company from the New Zealand register must be delivered to the registrar by May 3, 2013. 42 Professional Skipper May/June 2013 PACIFIC BLUEFIN TUNA AT RISK AFTER A DROP in numbers Atlantic and southern tuna are currently protected by catch quotas and some experts believe quotas should also be put in place for northern Pacific bluefin tuna. In January the International Scientific Community for Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the North Pacific Ocean released a summary of a recent stock assessment report. The study, which analysed data from 1952-2011, estimates that tuna populations have dropped by 96 percent and an overwhelming number of recent fishing catches were juveniles netted before reproductive maturity. Fishery biologist Sarah Shoffler from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United Sates says that while it is clear that the total weight of fish of reproductive age is at or near its lowest level the ISC study "did not determine if the population is near extinction." Japan enjoys around 80 percent of the world's bluefin tuna catch, but the ISC report has received little attention in the Japanese media. Bluefin tuna, or "hon-maguro" is big business. In 2011 limits were placed on Japanese domestic fishermen using large purse seine nets reducing the catch of juveniles, as well as the limits on the number of fishing boats. At a commission meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in September this year catch limits will be on the agenda. Masayuki Komatsu, former senior Fisheries Agency official, believes Japan should immediately impose catch quotas or "stop eating the bluefin to protect it." At the Australian Institute of Marine Science researcher Gabriel Vianna urges better management, saying that the practice of excessive fishing and catching juveniles is unsustainable. Preparation vital for coastal communities THE COASTAL EMERGENCIES Conference will be held in Wellington this May. The conference provides coastal communities with an essential forum for reviewing their preparedness. Maritime New Zealand's Keith Manch delivers the opening session, with the Australian perspective given by speaker Toby Stone of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. The conference covers natural weather emergencies, protecting wildlife, coordinating crisis centres, improvement of communications, the role of search and rescue, commercial shipping safety, liability in an oil spill, resilience in ports, an overview of the Marine Legislation Bill and the regulatory framework of a Government response. The conference runs from May 20-21 and case studies will be available from The Greater Wellington Regional Council, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Trust and Port Taranaki for insight into real-life coastal emergency responses. Find the agenda at: www.conferenz.co.nz/coastal SEAFARERS HEALTH STUDY YALE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL of Medicine in the United States has presented the preliminary results of its Future Care Inc and Yale University Seafarer's Health Study. The pilot study focused on injury and acute illness in seafarers internationally using a database built on evidence gathered from 6,724 cases documented over four years. The results were analysed by according to age, nationality, rank and type of illness or injury. The average costs per case were also documented by the study. Results revealed that illness claims, as opposed to injury claims, accounted for almost half of medical events and had a direct cost of US 18.5 million dollars. Only 2.4 percent of cases required hospital admission. While illness and dental claims were 66.7 percent of the total, the study found that cardiovascular disease had an associated direct cost of US 5.7 million dollars, which was 17.3 percent of the US 32.8 million dollars total direct costs of seafarer health care provided by the Future Care programme. Dr Carrie Redlich, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine says, "the results of this project should provide a sound basis for the development of better strategies to reduce and better treat injuries and illnesses to seafarers while at the same time reducing the health care costs to the maritime industry."