Seafood New Zealand has reacted to today’s Government announcement about consulting on proposals to dramatically restrict trawling and Danish seining in the Hauraki Gulf. The industry body says it wants a stronger focus on the health of the Gulf generally, but warns that the consultation process risks being ineffective if people do not understand how these fishing methods really work.
Dr Jeremy Helson, CEO of Seafood New Zealand says some commercial methods are misunderstood and their effects mischaracterised. “We as an industry take some responsibility for that lack of understanding but we are trying to help explain and educate people about how commercial fishing works and how different types of fishing work. We need the science to come through and really be listened to. For our part, commercial fishers want and need a healthy Hauraki Gulf and we are stepping up to play our part in that.”
Bottom trawling is a fishing method that is used to catch more than 70% of New Zealand’s commercially-caught fish. Most trawling is done over sandy, muddy surfaces in well-established fishing grounds. Dr Helson says in the Hauraki Gulf, fishers are already limiting their fishing to grounds where they have fished for many years. “We manage to work within the considerable restrictions already in place on commercial fishing, to provide fish for Aucklanders and beyond. We are keen adopters of new technologies and that’s why our fishing methods keep improving. We want that trend to continue, through the Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan.
“Anyone submitting to the Hauraki Gulf consultation that opens tomorrow should know that fishers are as focused on a healthy Gulf as any and every other stakeholder. They care deeply about the environment in which they work. To really improve the health of this precious part of Aotearoa, we need to face the really hard stuff – the impact of climate change, run-off from the land, risk from invasive pest species and the sheer volume of use by a growing population that the Gulf experiences. Commercial fishing can’t do all the heavy lifting on this work. It needs to involve everyone who cares about our big blue backyard.
“Moving the fishing effort outside the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park means more fuel use and increased costs which means fish could become less accessible to New Zealanders. It could have other unintended consequences that don’t actually help achieve a healthier Gulf.
“We have worked faithfully for many years with Government and with other partners in the mission to protect the Hauraki Gulf and we will continue to do so. We ask that access to fish for New Zealanders and respect for the science be considered by everyone who is contemplating submitting as part of the Government’s consultation process.”
