CLOSING THE DRIFTNET LOOP IN ITALY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 005602 SIPDIS OES FOR DAS WEST; OMC FOR TINKHAM, PLE COMMERCE FOR NOAA/NMFS/IA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 05602 01 OF 02 190838Z E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS SENV PHSA ETRD SENV PHSA ETRD IT ITEFIS MARITIME SUBJECT: CLOSING THE DRIFTNET LOOP IN ITALY REFS: A) STATE 135156 B) TINKHAM-SIGNORETTI MEETING ¶1. SUMMARY. DESPITE SEVERAL FOLLOW-UPS, POST HAS NOT YET RECEIVED A COMPREHENSIVE REPLY TO REF A DEMARCHE. HOWEVER, GOI OFFICIALS HAVE ASSURED US ILLEGAL DRIFTNETTING HAS BEEN PROSECUTED EFFECTIVELY AND THAT THE PHENOMENON IS GOING TO EXPIRE. A COPY OF THE 2000 AND 2001 ENFORCEMENT REPORTS WERE GIVEN TO OES STETSON TINKHAM WHEN HE WAS IN ROME LAST WEEK. THE SUMMARY OF 2002 DRIFTNET DATA AND THE FISHERIES DG'S LETTER WILL BE SENT BY FAX. END SUMMARY. ¶2. POST SENT REF A DEMARCHE TO FISHERIES DG ATTILIO TRIPODI ON JULY 22. AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER, WE RECEIVED THE 2000 AND 2001 PORT CAPTAINCY ENFORCEMENT REPORTS, WHICH UNFORTUNATELY AGGREGATED ALL INSPECTION DATA. DRIFTNET VIOLATIONS COULD NOT BE DISAGGREGATED. WE ASKED FOR DRIFTNET-ONLY STATISTICS SOON AFTERWARDS. SINCE WE HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY ANSWER, WE SUBMITTED THE SAME REQUEST AGAIN ON NOVEMBER 4, REQUESTING THE INFORMATION ON DRIFTNET NETS DISPOSAL AS WELL. UNFORTUNATELY, TRIPODI TOLD US THAT IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO EXTRACT DRIFTNET-SPECIFIC ENFORCEMENT DATA FROM THE 2000 AND 2001 STATISTICS, AND ASKED FOR MORE TIME. HOWEVER, TRIPODI SENT US A LETTER WHERE STATING THAT HE HAD REQUESTED THE 2002 (SIC) ENFORCEMENT DATA. WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED AND EMPHASIZED AGAIN THAT WE NEEDED 2000 AND 2001 DATA. IN THE LETTER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 05602 01 OF 02 190838Z TRIPODI ADDED THAT "2002 DRIFTNET MONITORING ACTIVITY HAS BEEN INCISIVE AND SATISFACTORY" (SEE PARA 6 FOR INFORMAL TRANSLATION OF THE LETTER). ¶3. WHILE WAITING FOR A REPLY FROM TRIPODI, POST ALSO SPOKE WITH COMM. PIETRO VERNA, THE HEAD OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR FISHERY CONTROL. VERNA SENT US THE 2002 DRIFTNET ENFORCEMENT DATA ON NOV. 4. THE PORT AUTHORITIES HAVE DEDICATED 15,101 HOURS AND 93,614 NAUTICAL MILES TO DRIFTNET MONITORING IN THE PAST SEASON. DURING THEIR MONITORING ACTIVITY, THEY HAVE CAUGHT AND SEIZED THE NETS OF 9 ILLEGAL DRIFTNET VESSELS IN PALERMO, 44 IN CALABRIA, 19 IN CATANIA, 12 IN BARI, 2 IN NAPLES, AND 17 IN SARDINIA (BELONGING TO SICILIAN FISHERMEN). COM. VERNA WAS SATISFIED WITH THE ABOVE-MENTIONED RESULTS AND WAS CONFIDENT THAT THE DRIFTNET ISSUE IS RESOLVED: "THERE WILL BE ALWAYS VIOLATORS, BUT ALMOST NONE". HE ALSO ADDED THAT "ONCE ALL THE FISHERMEN RECEIVE THE CONVERSION MONEY (STILL SOME OF THEM HAVE NOT RECEIVED IT) AND HAVE THEIR EXPENSIVE NETS SEIZED, THEY WILL DEFINITIVELY STOP DRIFTNETTING". ¶4. COMMENT: THE EU DRIFTNET BAN ENTERED INTO FORCE ON JANUARY 1, 2002 AND ALL DRIFTNETS ARE NOW ILLEGAL. ONLY ABOUT 80 DRIFTNET VESSELS HAD NOT APPLIED TO THE CONVERSION PLAN AND HAD NOT SURRENDERED THEIR NETS. IN THEORY, THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES STILL ABLE TO DRIFTNET. SINCE THE PC ISSUED 103 VIOLATIONS, THE PORT AUTHORITIES APPEAR TO HAVE INTERCEPTED THESE DRIFTNET VESSELS AND GOI MONITORING ACTIVITY HAS BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE THIS YEAR. END COMMENT. ¶5. DRIFTNET QUESTIONS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ROME 05602 01 OF 02 190838Z - SANCTIONS LAW : NEVER APPROVED - BILATERAL ENFORCEMENT WITH OTHER EU MED COUNTRIES AND/OR EU INSPECTORS IN 2000-2001: 2000: JUNE 21/ JULY 14 AND JULY 19/AUGUST 11 - GREECE-ITALY JOINT INSPECTION ACTIVITIES AT SEA (OUTCOME NOT MENTIONED) 2001: JULY 21-25 AND SEPTEMBER 27-30 - GREECE-ITALY JOINT INSPECTION ACTIVITIES BY PLANE (OUTCOME NOT MENTIONED) 2002: NOT MENTIONED IN THE 2002 PLAN - WHICH IS A VERY GENERAL DOCUMENT, MENTIONING ARTICLES OF LAW AND ENFORCEMENT CAPABILITY (E.G. PERSONNEL, N. OF BOATS AND PLANES, BUDGET, ETC.) BUT NO MONITORING ACTION PLAN. - STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF ITALY'S VESSEL MONITORING SYSTEM: ACCORDING TO THE EU REGULATION 28/47 ALL EU VESSELS LONGER THAN 24 METERS MUST HAVE THE BLUE BOX ON BOARD. CURRENTLY ALL 613 REQUIRED ITALIAN VESSELS HAVE THE BLUE BOX ON BOARD. ACCORDING TO COMM. MANCINI, ABOUT 140 VESSELS ARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS, A PART OF WHICH COULD BE ALSO DUE TO INTENTIONAL SABOTAGE TO THE INSTRUMENT. MOREOVER, DUE TO HIGH COSTS OF SATELLITE MONITORING, THE VESSEL DATA ARE TRANSMITTED EVERY 6 HOURS INSTEAD OF 2 AS THE EU RULE UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ0235 PAGE 01 ROME 05602 02 OF 02 190838Z ACTION OES-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AGRE-00 AID-00 CEA-01 CG-00 CIAE-00 CTME-00 DINT-00 DODE-00 DOEE-00 ITCE-00 DOTE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EB-00 EXME-00 EUR-00 E-00 UTED-00 VC-00 FRB-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00 ITC-01 JUSE-00 L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 NSF-01 OIC-02 OMB-01 OPIC-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00 SP-00 SSO-00 SS-00 STR-00 TEST-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00 EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /011W -------------- 0AEE7D 190838Z /38 R 190719Z NOV 02 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6973 INFO USEU BRUSSELS 2961 USDOC WASHDC AMEMBASSY PARIS AMEMBASSY LONDON AMEMBASSY MADRID AMEMBASSY DUBLIN AMEMBASSY LISBON AMEMBASSY ATHENS UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 005602 SIPDIS OES FOR DAS WEST; OMC FOR TINKHAM, PLE COMMERCE FOR NOAA/NMFS/IA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 05602 02 OF 02 190838Z E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS SENV PHSA ETRD SENV PHSA ETRD IT ITEFIS MARITIME SUBJECT: CLOSING THE DRIFTNET LOOP IN ITALY REQUIRES. THE MONITORING NETWORK INCLUDES ROME AND 13 MAJOR ITALIAN PORTS. - DETAILS ON THE FINAL DISPOSITION OF SEIZED OR SURRENDERED DRIFTNETS: POST ASKED AGAIN THIS INFORMATION ON NOVEMBER 4 AND WAS PROMISED TO RECEIVE A REPLY "SOON". - RESULTS OF ITALY'S COAST GUARD (CG),AND POLICE SHORESIDE AND AT-SEA BOARDING AND INSPECTION PROGRAMS FOR 2000-2001 (OVERALL ACTIVITY) 2000 2001 CG POLICE CG POLICE INSPECTIONS AT SEA 8,856 30,000 19,420 34,000 INSPECTIONS IN PORTS2,187 5,972 13,657 4,883 ADMIN. VIOLATIONS 2,705 3,970 4,300 4,490 ADMIN. SEIZURES 1,091 772 1,323 947 PENAL VIOLATION 564 1,358 913 1,358 PENAL SEIZURES 309 739 507 1,202 ¶6. BEGINNING OF EMBASSY INFORMAL TRANSLATION OF DG TRIPODI'S LETTER DATED NOVEMBER 14, 2002 AFTER HAVING RECEIVED YOUR NOTE, WE HAVE REQUESTED THE 2002 UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 05602 02 OF 02 190838Z (SIC!) DRIFTNET ENFORCEMENT DATA FROM ALL ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES (PORT CAPTAINCIES, CARABINIERI AND CUSTOM POLICE). AS SOON AS THE REQUESTED DATA ARE AVAILABLE WE WILL IMMEDIATELY SEND THEM TO THE EMBASSY. HOWEVER, WE THINK IT IS APPROPRIATE TO ENSURE YOU THAT ALL DRIFTNET CONVERSION PLAN MEASURES HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT BOTH ADMINISTRATIVELY AND OPERATIONALLY (DISPOSAL OF NETS AND MONITORING ACTIVITY). MOREOVER, DURING THE 2002 CAMPAIGN, WE PLANNED AND CARRIED OUT AN INTENSE MONITORING ACTIVITY WHICH INVOLVED ALL ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITIES, AND THE PORT CAPTAINCIES IN PARTICULAR, AND HAD SATISFACTORY RESULTS AS SHOWN IN THE ATTACHED SUMMARY. END OF EMBASSY INFORMAL TRANSLATION. SKODON UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME05602 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED