The Australian Greens spokesperson for Fisheries, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, says that New Zealand’s efforts in recent days to use its Navy to round up illegal toothfish poachers in the Southern Ocean shows how pitiful the Australian government’s efforts have been.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “We have had the Sea Shepherd pursuing the illegal vessel MV Thunder from Australia’s area of interest in the Southern Ocean and pulling out their deadly nets.

Greens fisheries spokesperson Senator Peter Whish-Wilson says the Abbott government’s super trawler ban is a cynical political ploy and not science based fisheries policy.

“This ban is a cynical political ploy not based on the recent independent scientific panel’s advice on super trawlers,” Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said.

“Banning ships over a certain length means nothing if mega freezing capacity industrial scale trawlers are still allowed to plunder our oceans and threaten ecosystems.

The Australian Greens said today that the issuing of a catch and kill order for a white shark off Warnbro Sound is a drastic overreaction.

"It is outrageous that the Government would be using the tagging system to hunt sharks off the WA coast," Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens marine spokesperson said today.

"Preventative measures are in place and tracking and monitoring can continue. There's nothing to suggest it poses a threat and that this shark needs to be killed, simply for being in what the Government considers to be the wrong place at the wrong time.

The Greens welcome this first step towards adequate labelling of seafood that would ultimately be beneficial to consumers, the local fishing industry, the marine environment and the national economy says the Fisheries spokesperson for the Greens, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson.

Senator Whish-Wilson said “The message from the Seafood Labelling Senate Inquiry to the Tasmanian seafood industry is ‘Merry Christmas’.

Greens spokesperson for Fisheries, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson is calling on the Federal Government to apprehend the notorious pirate vessel MV Thunder which is currently being pursued by the Sea Shepherd in the Southern Ocean. After years of being pursued by Australia and other nations, the MV Thunder was arrested and impounded by Malaysian authorities in May of this year. Inexplicably it has been sighted by Sea Shepherd, poaching Patagonian toothfish near the Australian territory of Heard Island.

The discovery by Sea Shepherd of the notorious pirate vessel, illegally fishing in the Southern Ocean between Heard Island and Antarctica indicates a worrying failure of international co-operation, Greens spokesperson for Fisheries Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “In December 2013 Interpol issued a Purple Notice alerting authorities that the Thunder was fishing illegally in the Southern Ocean.

Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, attended the Welcome to Port celebrations for the RV Investigator in Hobart today.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “This vessel is going to give Australia unprecedented capacity to undertake marine and climate research throughout the Southern Ocean.

The Australian Greens spokesperson for Fisheries, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the release of the “Report of the Expert Panel on a Declared Commercial Fishing Activity: Final (Small Pelagic Fishery) Declaration 2012,” a scientific review into the likely impacts of the super trawler.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “This super trawler scientific report vindicates the position of the Greens, recreational fishers, environment groups and the wider Tasmanian community.

The Greens Spokesperson for Whaling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, provides the following comments on the announcement of the new Japanese Whaling program for 2015/16 and beyond.

Senator Whish-Wilson said “Japan has issued themselves a permit to kill nearly 4000 Minke Whales in Antarctic waters. They want to put 333 whales on the butcher’s block, every year for the next twelve years.

Greens Senator for Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson, today welcomed the detail provided on how the $24 million announced last year would be spent in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean (ANSO) sector but said that the Federal government must now follow up and act on the full recommendations of last month’s Senate inquiry.