Time to rethink Quota Management System
Arecent survey by Horizon Research came up with a strong commentary on what New Zealanders think of the current fisheries management system.
Around 83 per cent of respondents felt the current quota management system was average or failed to limit fish kill and to rebuild fish stocks to sustainable levels.
More than 1900 individuals completed the survey, allowing new insights into the public disappointment around the Quota Management System (QMS). Seventy per cent of these respondents shared fisheries advocacy group LegaSea’s views about the need for an independent inquiry into the QMS, with only 4 per cent thinking it was unnecessary.
Interestingly the survey also looked at individual responses relative to their party political views. More than 70 per cent of the voters for most parties supported the call for a review, with National party supporters coming in not far behind on 61 per cent.
Marlborough has not been immune from fisheries mismanagement.
The blue cod fiasco with blatant discrimination against the recreational public was initiated by the Labour government’s fisheries minister and given the nod of approval by the NZ Recreational Fishing Council with no reference to Marlborough recreational fishers or the Marlborough Recreational Fishers’ Association. With a change of government, there were hopes the incoming National-led government would rectify the mess and although the newly appointed Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley made sincere efforts, he was removed from the position. Subsequent minister, David Carter, although having a holiday home in the Sounds, seemed disinterested. When he became Speaker of Parliament, new minister Nathan Guy also seemed to drag the chain but eventually strong advocacy and lobbying from the Marlborough Recreational Fishers Association brought about reform to regulations such as the slot rule, which not only penalised recreational fishers but caused thousands of blue cod to needlessly die.
The rights of recreational fishers relative to the commercial and customary sectors are still discriminated against with the continuance of rules restricting set netting for moki and butterfish. Recreational fishers are restricted to a four-month season, commercial have no closed months.
While recreational fishers have a limit of 60-metre nets, commercial are permitted 500 metres, while customary have no rules.
The point is that management measures should be shared by all sectors. If a recreational bag limit is decreased then commercial quota should be reduced by the same percentage.
The Marlborough Recreational Fishers Association was formed from anger arising in 1996 when the government, in dictatorial and draconian fashion, cut the Marlborough Sounds recreational snapper bag limit from 10 to three, with no reduction in the commercial quota. The anomaly still remains – festering.
It is frustrating that with the scallop fishery the problem arose solely because of commercial overfishing of the Tasman and Golden Bay beds. Statistics show that 15 years ago, commercial catches were heading downwards. Nothing was done.
The Tasman and Golden Bay beds collapsed and commercial, in the wake of the destruction, turned eyes to the Marlborough Sounds beds. Now the Sounds beds are closed for the time being to all. Recreational suffer the consequences of commercial greed, driven by the corporate companies.
The recreational public have swallowed the bitter pill by realistically and readily agreeing to a closure simply to save the remnants of the resource. It is not just the recreational public suffering. Businesses particularly in Picton and elsewhere in Marlborough have suffered a downward trend.
Another fishery stock under pressure is the kahawai.
The shoals of feeding kahawai readily identified by excited screeching gulls are virtually gone due to purse seining at sea by corporate vessels. The kahawai is a major recreational resource, often termed the ‘‘people’s fish’’. The commercial value of the kahawai is low as it ends up exported as fish meal or crayfish pot bait to Australia.
Another survey showed the economic value of recreational fishing is almost $1.7 billion, exceeding commercial fishing’s $1.3 billion. Why then is recreational fishing relegated to a lower priority than commercial?
Clearly the whole culture within the Ministry of Primary Industries which ‘‘manages’’ fisheries needs to change. So does the attitude of governments and of fisheries ministers in being more assertive and not letting bureaucrats dictate agendas.
At the root of it all is the QMS which the recent Horizons survey showed 70 per cent of respondents ‘‘shared fisheries advocacy LegaSea’s views about the need for an independent inquiry into the QMS’’.
A major flaw of the QMS is the ‘transferable’ aspect which allows powerful corporate companies to buy up and aggregate quota thereby dominating the resource. Another is the culture of seeing the quota as akin to a ‘property right’. It is not a property right; it is a privilege, a lease or rent. The property belongs to the people.
And 70 per cent of the people want the failing system and its associated culture overhauled.