Deep sea conservationists are horrified by the new government's move to block the implementation of a proposal that New Zealand advanced last year.
The proposal would have introduced trawling limits designed to protect biodiversity hotspots from bottom trawling in the South Pacific.
But in a last-minute change at the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Agreement meeting in Ecuador, the coalition government pulled its support, resulting in Australia having to submit it instead.
Karli Thomas of Aotearoa's Deep Sea Conservation Coalition is in Ecuador.
Thomas spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
