Machete with wooden handle

Date2000-2005

Object number00056586

NameMachete

MediumIron alloy, wood

DimensionsOverall: 675 x 80 x 60 mm, 961 g

ClassificationsTools and equipment

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Gift from Australian Border Force

Terms

DescriptionThis machete was one of the tools used by fishermen from Indonesia while illegally fishing in Australian waters in the early 2000s. With simple tools and a basic map, the fishermen navigated to Australia until they were stopped and seized by the Australian Customs Service. These objects are typical of the home-made and traditional tools of Indonesian small-scale fishers and highlight the period of intense illegal fishing activity in Australia's north in the early 2000s.HistoryThe Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry defines illegal fishing as; 'Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is fishing which does not comply with national, regional or global fisheries conservation and management obligations. IUU fishing can occur within zones of national jurisdiction, within areas of control of regional fisheries bodies, or on the high seas. With the increasing demand for fishery products and the decline of fishery resources, the increasing incidence of IUU fishing has been of great concern to responsible fishing nations. In a 1999 report to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the UN Secretary General stated that IUU fishing was "one of the most severe problems currently affecting world fisheries." IUU fishing is jeopardising the Australian harvest of fish stocks both within and beyond the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ), and the long-term survival of fishing industries and communities. The recent incidence of illegal fishing of Patagonian toothfish in Australia’s remote Southern Ocean territories is a prime example of the damaging effects of unregulated fishing on the sustainability of stocks and the viability of the Australian industry See; http://www.daff.gov.au/fisheries/iuu/overview_illegal,_unreported_and_unregulated_iuu_fishing Illegal fishing also occurs in Australia’s northern waters and is largely undertaken by traditional or small-scale Indonesian vessels. In the early 2000s there was a dramatic increase in illegal fishing in Australia's northern waters. In 2004 367 boats were found fishing illegally. In 2005, Australia put in place a National Plan of Action against illegal fishing. In 2006 specific funding was given to Customs and Border Protection and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to deter illegal foreign fishing in northern waters. The impetus for funding was propelled out of concern for protection of Australian fish stocks, but also by a UN International Plan of Action, signed by 110 nations in 2001. Between July 2007 and July 2008, 186 boats were apprehended, 141 of these were Indonesian-owned boats. The entire crews were arrested and transferred to immigration detention centres, their boats towed to the nearest port - most often Darwin - and burnt. The strategy is credited with the rapid decline in arrests. Between 2008 and 2011 there were only 71 arrests. In more recent times, there has been a noticeable shift away from what could be termed 'traditional' fishing. Vessels are being found further east, as far across as the Torres Strait, and are largely targeting shark for its valuable fin. See; http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2011/12/13/3389001.htm SignificanceThese objects are typical of the home-made and traditional tools of Indonesian small-scale fishers and highlight the period of intense illegal fishing activity in Australia's north in the early 2000s. Objects seized from irregular entry vessels are exceedingly rare, both because of the legal questions related to their ownership and because ships are often disposed of after their seizure. This makes these objects very significant as representatives of fishing traditions practiced north of the Australian coast.