Professional Skipper Magazine from VIP Publications

WATERFRONT BUSINESS In brief… Seafury high and dry Greymouth fisherman Frank Benzie spent an embarrassing morning perched on the half tide wall of the Grey River in early July. Although boats normally stick to the river's port bank, Benzie had "an unfortunate navigational problem" leaving his fishing boat Seafury lodged firmly on the half- tide wall in the middle of the Port of Greymouth. The metres-wide wall was built to help direct the flow of the Grey River. The boat was safely floated off in the next high tide. Greymouth Police were unsure as to what went wrong and Benzie was unavailable for comment. Speedy Salvors Svitzer and Smit, salvors responsible for removal of all accessible containers on the Rena wreck, have finished a month ahead of schedule and will have left the Bay of Plenty by the time Skipper magazine goes to press. The owners of the Rena have now started the tender process for contractors to take up the second phase of the salvage for final removal of the hull from the reef. This could begin in August subject to weather conditions. Tenders are expected to close at the end of the month although it is not clear at this stage how long the tender process will take. Misreporting earns $20,000 fine and lost boat Nelson fisherman Gregory James Fife has been fined $20,000 for misreporting 3.5 tonnes of blue cod while operating out of Bluff. The boat he was skippering, the Remus, was forfeit in March after he was convicted on eight charges for making false entries in fishing returns and one charge of failing to furnish a return. Electric shock drowning The American Boat and Yacht Council has drawn up a document on an "Equipment Leakage Circuit Interrupter" device. The "interrupter" is similar in function to ground-fault outlets installed in homes and responds to a potential fault by tripping the main circuit breaker and cutting power to the boat. The device will be mandatory for boats with alternating current systems beginning December 31, 2012. LOOKOUT RATING SAVES LIVES AS ARAHURA IN 'NEAR MISS' AN INTERISLANDER FERRY officer was stood down during an investigation into a 'near miss' incident between the Arahura and a small recreational fishing boat. Maritime New Zealand is investigating after agitated passengers complained about a near miss with a small boat off Karori Rock at 4.15pm on February 20. The autopilot was on prior to the incident, and the Wellington-bound ferry's radar showed the small fishing boat visible from 4.07pm. The officer of the watch had been briefed of the presence of the small boat at 4.05pm by an earlier lookout leaving the bridge at 4.13pm. Two minutes later a lookout alerted the officer with the words, "Oh s...! Where did that come from?" and the ferry made an emergency port manoeuvre as the recreational fishing boat passed clear on starboard. The master learned of the incident after passengers complained to the Arahura's customer services manager. Interislander's incident investigation report holds the officer responsible for the near miss as he failed, "to maintain a safe navigational watch". The officer had also breached company policy by not reporting immediately to the ship's master who was in his cabin, that the Arahura's course had been changed "in an emergency" situation. Ill-prepared Kapiti boaties very lucky POLICE HAVE CRITICISED two poorly prepared boaties who sparked a two-hour search and rescue operation off the Kapiti Coast. The two men in a 4.8m boat called for help about 5pm after their boat broke down probably because of an electrical fault. They gave their location as Makara Point that doesn't exist, and were found drifting in the dark, more than 1 kilometre off shore after using a spotlight to signal to their rescuers about 7pm. Police say their cell phone had low battery, the VHF radio was not working, there were not enough lifejackets on board for the pair, and it was apparent they didn't know the area at all. The pair were found by the Mana Volunteer Coastguard and the police launch Lady Elizabeth IV, and towed back to Mana by the volunteer crew. "There's going to be some questions asked, they are very lucky that weather conditions were pretty good." Senior Constable Barry Hart, of Wellington's Maritime Police. OVERFISHING JEOPARDIZES GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY WWF INTERNATIONAL SAYS governments must understand that the current fisheries crisis is an issue of fundamental humanitarian importance and take strong management measures to achieve sustainable fisheries, and to eradicate unfair competition caused by illegal fishing or unfair exploitation contracts. The message comes with the release of the latest State of the World's Fisheries and Aquaculture report SOFIA 2012, issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. SOFIA 2012 estimates that in 2009: • 57 percent of marine fisheries are fully exploited and 30 percent of all assessed marine stocks are over-exploited • Fisheries related employment supports the livelihoods of 10-12 percent of the world's population (660-820 million people) 40 Professional Skipper September/October 2012 • 4.3 billion people depend on fish to provide about 15 percent of their animal derived protein Alfred Schumm, Leader of WWF's global Smart Fishing Initiative says that with such dependency on fish to meet a rapidly growing population, a situation where 87 percent of global marine fisheries are at or above full exploitation is not sustainable. SOFIA 2012 also recognises that controlling illegal, unreported and unregulated vessels is a burden gradually falling on coastal states, port states, regional fisheries bodies, and other entities. WWF is hoping that sustainably managed fish stocks can be achieved via the Financial Institution for the Recovery of Marine Ecosystems which employs an investment model that finances conservation without adversely impacting livelihoods.

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