$68m camera ship strategy ‘lacks vision’
A $68 million government plan to install cameras on inshore fishing vessels lacks vision, says the seafood industry, which is calling for better technology and research to improve future fisheries management.
Three seafood industry organisations have made submissions to Fisheries New Zealand (FNZ) supporting the use of cameras on inshore fishing vessels, saying they should be part of an integrated future fisheries management strategy.
However, the three groups – Fisheries Inshore New Zealand, Seafood New Zealand and Southern Inshore Fisheries – say a better camera strategy, with supporting artificial intelligence technology, is needed rather than the one planned, along with more research to inform sustainable fishing.
The Government expects to spend $68 million over the next four years fitting out and maintaining on-board cameras on 300 inshore fishing vessels, and monitoring footage. The staged installation of cameras is expected to start later this year and be completed by late 2024.
The cameras would provide independent information about commercial fishing activity – how many fish are being caught, as well as monitor any illegal or dangerous fishing practices. They would be used along with digital tracking and reporting measures already in place.
However, the fishing industry believes that what is needed is a generation of cameras that have far greater resolution, along with a change to fishing processes on vessels for catch viewing, and the resulting footage needs to be translated using artificial intelligence to identify species and details about them. That artificial intelligence technology is not available yet, but is crucial alongside cameras, the industry says.
In its submissions it suggested staggering the roll-out of the first basic cameras, alongside starting a programme to develop and implement artificial intelligence.
Laws Lawson, executive chairperson of Fisheries Inshore New Zealand, which represents finfish fishers, said New Zealand deserved more from the proposed camera investment.
‘‘It is disappointing that FNZ’s most recent proposal still lacks vision and a strategic pathway to maximise what this kind of additional electronic monitoring could achieve,’’ he said.
‘‘Instead, imagine having cameras that can identify what fish species are returned to the sea, what their age is, what species we land, what protected species we do or don’t catch. Imagine getting that data electronically and using it to better actively manage our fisheries.
‘‘We could have an at-sea monitoring service that doesn’t require us to bring back every fish so it can be counted. Instead, we would monitor the fish catch in their habitat,’’ Lawson said.
‘‘We consider the estimated $68m price tag, in the absence of a strategic pathway, to be a risky use of public funds, at a time when we desperately need more investment in research that will really make the difference for future fishing management.’’
The industry is also concerned FNZ is proposing that at least $10m in costs for the strategy be recovered from the fishing industry in the first four years, when the extra benefits haven’t been demonstrated, and that cost could drive more fishers out of business.