2003 driftnet enforcement data - no violations in

UNCLAS ROME 001296 SIPDIS RULSJGA Commandant, US Coast Guard RUCOCGA Commandant, Atlantic Area US Coast Guard RUCPDC Commerce/NOAA/NMFS Enforcement, Sustainable Fisheries DEPT FOR OES FOR DAS BALTON; OMC FOR TINKHAM, WARNER-KRAMER DEPT FOR EUR/WE COMMERCE FOR NOAA/NMFS/IA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EFIS SENV PHSA ETRD IT SUBJECT: 2003 driftnet enforcement data - no violations in international waters REFS: A) STATE 8931 B) 2003 STATE 317193 ¶1. Summary: On January 22, Department and Embassy Rome officers met with Paolo Scarpa Bonazza Buora, the Italian Under Secretary of Agriculture responsible for fisheries. The U/S was very familiar with the driftnet problem and urged his Fisheries people to pass the 2003 enforcement data to the Embassy within January 31. The 2003 enforcement data, which we had already requested on December 2, 2003, arrived on time and showed that all the notified driftnet violations occurred in Italian national waters. End summary. ¶2. On January 22, as requested by ref A, EST section arranged a meeting for OES/OMC officer Stetson Tinkham with Paolo Scarpa Bonazza Buora, the Italian Under Secretary of Agriculture responsible for fisheries. Attilio Tripodi (Fisheries Director) and Comm. Pietro Verna (head of National Center for Fishery Control and Operations) joined the U/S. SCI Karen Milliken and Federica Signoretti represented the Embassy. Tinkham made the point that both sides need to concentrate on completing the steps necessary to put this matter behind us. Scarpa Bonazza emphasized that he was very familiar with the driftnet problem and that he was the person in his Department responsible for the issue. Using his "power", he emphatically "ordered" Comm. Verna to provide to the Embassy the 2003 enforcement data by January 31, 2004. He also asked Tripodi to pass us the names/registry numbers of the final 89 driftnet boats to accept (or ordered to accept) the buy-out. Note: per Ref. B, the Embassy had asked Verna and Tripodi to receive the 2003 enforcement data on December 2, 2003. Verna had told us that, since the Port Captaincies do not make driftnet- only enforcement statistics anymore, it would have taken a long time to get the data. The embassy had also asked information about the driftnet recycling program (also per Ref. B),but never received an answer on it. The list of the last driftnet buy-out boats has not arrived yet. End note. -------------- 2003 Driftnet Enforcement Data -------------- ¶3. The 2003 enforcement data arrived even before January ¶31. In summary, all the notified violations occurred in Italian national waters. The statistics were much simpler than the ones filled before 2002, when the Port Captaincies used to fill driftnet-only enforcement forms. Custom Police: 78 inspections with 29 notified violations. 24 nets (122 km in total) were seized. Carabinieri: Unknown number of inspections and violations - 12 nets (total 31.2 km) were seized and all of them in national waters Port Captaincies: driftnets violations were notified in the usual areas (Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria),and all of them in Italian national waters. The Port Captaincies of Rome, Naples, Genoa, Trieste, Livorno, Venice, Ancona, Ravenna, and Bari did not report any driftnet violations. Catania: Unknown number of inspections and violations - 4 nets (total 17.4 km) were seized. Palermo: Unknown number of inspections and violations - 11 nets (total 47.5 km) were seized. Cagliari: Unknown number of inspections and violations - 18 nets (total 82 km) were seized. Reggio Calabria: Unknown number of inspections and violations - 23 nets (total 59 km) were seized. ¶4. This cable has been cleared by OES/OMS Stetson Tinkham Sembler NNNN 2004ROME01296 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED