Fishing proposals ‘limited’
Professor Liz Slooten, from Otago University’s Zoology Department, doubts that changes to fisheries management proposed by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash, will have the intended effect.
The proposals focus on what fish must be taken to port, what fish can be returned to the sea and penalties for misconduct.
Professor Slooten said a dramatic reduction in the amount of fish dumped at sea was urgently needed, but the MPI proposal was “rather limited”, and was unlikely to achieve that.
“One of the options should be that all fish caught must be brought back to port,” she said. “In countries where this has been done, it has led innovation so that nowadays the fish fillets are the byproduct. Almost every part of a fish can be used. As mentioned under Option 1 (tightening the rules for, but not banning, fish dumping), this will incentivise innovation.
“Another improvement would be to ban bulk fishing methods, like gill nets and trawling. The fish dumping that is currently taking place is the direct result of having a Quota Management System that gives fishermen quota for one fish species at a time, while allowing them to use fishing methods that catch many species at once.
“That means the less valuable fish species and fish sizes end up being dumped at sea.
“As quota holders, the large fishing companies are sending fishing boats out to sea with a ‘shopping list’ of what species and sizes they want them to catch. But they send them out with fishing methods that provide no control over what is caught. The result is large amounts of fish dumped at sea. We cannot afford to continue to squander our precious fish resources this way.
“Likewise, the case studies of innovation include modifications to trawling gear. Trawl gear should instead be banned. It is extremely damaging to fish stocks, protected species and marine habitats. Modifying the gear is essentially a PR exercise, rather than a real change in how fishing is done.
“Fishermen using fish traps, hook and line methods and other environmentally-sound methods should be rewarded, rather than spending large amounts of government funding on a PR exercise for trawling. There is currently no evidence that ‘precision seafood harvesting’ works, certainly not in reducing environmental impacts.”
The proposals were also limited and did not include an evaluation of the Quota Management System, and had no plans for monitoring cameras on fishing vessels.
Professor Simon Thrush, director of Auckland University’s Institute of Marine Science, took some encouragement from “high-level action” to improve New Zealand’s fisheries management. The Minister was looking for abundant and sustainable fisheries, thriving communities and healthy marine ecosystems, and the reform consultation document was a small step towards that “laudable” goal.
“The review is very narrowly focused, and avoids the big challenges fishers and fisheries managers face in realising this vision,” he said. “What about the effects of climate change, impacts on marine ecosystems, restoration of depleted stocks and the balance in use of our oceans between multiple users? Many of us are closely connected to our coasts and oceans, and we value it in very different ways.
“There is the need for independent scientific evidence to support evidence-based decisions. Bringing new thinking and technological applications to fisheries will require innovation, partnership and diversity. We are lagging behind many developed countries, although we have the capacity in New Zealand to do much better.
“What is actually needed to support the Minister’s vision is the implementation of ecosystem-based management. This means fairness and effective management for all, including those who value marine environments for very different reasons.”
A discussion focused on responsibilities, not rights, was a major issue requiring broad debate.