Industry body, Seafood New Zealand says proposed changes to commercial fishing rules are a win for consumers, common sense and sustainability.  The proposals, published by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) today, outline a number of changes intended to increase the certainty, efficiency and responsiveness of our fisheries management system.

Seafood New Zealand CEO Lisa Futschek says the proposed changes are a positive thing for everyone.

“The intention is to make our industry more sustainable in every sense of the word.  The health of our oceans is the first equal priority with the sustainability of our businesses and communities.  These proposed changes have the potential to improve current outdated regulations that are holding back innovation and growth. 

“For example, where we have new camera technology on our vessels that confirms what we’re catching, it makes sense to change the rules about landings and discards to allow fishers to return unwanted fish to the sea, rather than bring them all the way back to land where they will be disposed of.  This might happen with a fish like rough skate, which would often end up being a waste product.  If the proposals go through, it could be put back in the sea.  The fisher would still have to “pay” for it because it will count against their annual limits (known as ACE or Annual Catch Entitlement).  But this system will be more sustainable because that fish will stay in the ocean food web, rather than being a waste product on land. 

“This is just one small example of a proposed change that is actually better for the environment and for our fishers.  Only vessels with cameras or observers will be able to do this, which is another great use of camera technology.”

The proposals were shaped by a process led by the Ministry for Primary Industries where experts from the fishing industry were able to contribute their knowledge and ideas in a Seafood Industry Forum, which took place across 2024.

The Forum process was intended to recognise where there were opportunities to improve the management of our fisheries.  Commercial fishing is an important part of the New Zealand economy and a significant employer.  It contributes around $1.6 billion in export earnings annually.  Around 16,500 people are employed either directly or indirectly by commercial fishing.

Ms Futschek is urging the public to read the full list of proposals and have their say. The consultation document and other details, including how to make a submission, can be found on MPI’s website.

“We would strongly encourage people to get involved in the process and familiarise themselves with what the proposals entail.  We know there has been a lot of mis- and disinformation spread about commercial fishing in recent years.  Most of that is seriously out of date, often referencing situations that perhaps were true forty years ago but are very different today.  Reading the full document from MPI will help everyone see the common sense behind these changes and why they are needed. 

“Our excellent Quota Management System is recognised globally and it is one of the reasons 97% of the total commercial landings by weight are from stocks which are in good shape (source: Summary overview of 2023 fish stock status ).  But every system needs tweaking from time to time, particularly when new technology comes along that renders some of the rules out of date.

“We want to thank Minister Shane Jones and the experts from MPI who were part of this process, which will create better fisheries management systems that will be an advantage to everyone.  That includes our communities who rely on the seafood industry and consumers who can know they are benefitting from a more up to date system that’s focused on sustainability.  These changes will help our fishers stay in the business of putting incredibly healthy New Zealand seafood on Kiwis’ plates, in a more efficient and smarter way.”

ENDS

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact: 

Fiona MacMillan 
GM Communications, Seafood New Zealand 
Email: [email protected] 
Phone: 021 513 522 

Or

Jen Vallance
Senior Communications Advisor
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 022 851 1144 

Images of commercial fishing (free for use) are available in this Dropbox folder.

Fast Facts – Key Data about New Zealand Commercial Fishing

  • New Zealand’s commercial wild capture fisheries are worth $1.6 billion in export revenue
  • Our seafood sector produces $2.2 billion in export revenue in total (including aquaculture)
  • New Zealand’s large trawlers in our deepwater fleet have 60% observer coverage by independent Government observers
  • 16,500 Kiwis are employed either directly or indirectly in seafood
  • Fisheries management is complex – there are 642 fish stocks under management

Two case studies – examples of where innovation, sustainability and growth have been held back

Innovation – Investing in New Fishing Gear

Nearly a decade ago, the fishing industry started work (through the Primary Growth Partnership Programme which was co-funded by MPI) on a new harvesting system called FloMo, which had the potential to increase the selectivity of catch and the survivability of fish that had to be released back to the sea.  This new fishing gear spent years jumping through bureaucratic hoops to get approval, because its innovative design was not contemplated within current legislation.  The FloMo cod-end was designed specifically to enable undersized fish and non-target species to either escape during fishing, or if brought on board to be returned with the highest chance of survival on release.  Special legislation was required, and it took seven years to achieve approval to use FloMo in limited commercial activity.  Another five years later, that approval has broadened to most species in most areas.

Now, the FloMo technology, developed by Precision Seafood Harvesting Limited (PSH) is on the cusp of even more innovation.  PSH is investigating the options for underwater opening of the gear, to allow for the release of marine mammals if they are accidentally caught.  It could also be used to free unintended by-catch fish species without harming them.  Regulatory change would be required to permit by-catch release through the use of FloMo and the release-at-depth mechanism.

However, right now it is not permitted to release quota species as this would constitute dumping. 

PSH had to go through extensive trials to demonstrate its new FloMo technology which was very costly.  This would be prohibitive and is discouraging to other fishing innovators who might not have the funds behind them to take such risks.

More responsive and sensible legislation will encourage technological innovations that can help our fishing practices be even better.

Contact for this story:

Andre Pinkert
General Manager Commercial, FloMo
[email protected]

Sustainability – Managing the Snapper Surge

Commercial fishers in many parts of New Zealand have seen a surge in snapper stocks in the past decade.  However, the Annual Catch Entitlements haven’t always been raised to recognise this.  The increased abundance of snapper has continued in some areas to a point where is has become a “choke” species.  In other words, there are so many snapper that fishers catch their full allowance as a bycatch, whilst targeting other species, making it difficult to catch their allowance of the mixed species like gurnard and trevally etc.

This is still true off the west coast of the North Island.

Experienced fisher Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods in New Plymouth has seen this process play out. 

He is a fan of making the system more responsive and allowing MPI decision makers to use a full range of data to make their decisions, for example, information from on board cameras, observers, electronic reporting (which reveals Catch Per Unit Effort) and other technologies such as fishery-independent surveys. 

Contact for this story:

Keith Mawson
Egmont Seafoods
[email protected]
027 445 4525