Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
An overhaul of fisheries rules will allow greater catch limits when fish are abundant and stop on-board camera footage being made public.
The changes announced by Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones on Wednesday are part of a proposed new law that will be introduced later this year.
The reforms would help the fishing industry achieve its "enormous potential for sustainable growth", Jones said.
"These changes are the most significant reforms to the Fisheries Act for decades and they reflect my commitment to the success of our fishing industry which generates around $1.5 billion in exports each year."
Jones has also taken a swipe at environmental groups, who he accused of indulging in "an orgy of litigation" to try and prevent fishing companies making a living.
He didn't believe it would lead to more fish being caught, instead it would provide greater certainty and better planning for fishing companies, he told Morning Report.
It would also get rid of "the yearly carnival" and "an orgy of litigation" indulged in by environmental groups and instead allow companies to get on with making some money for the country.
"We will still be consulting with stakeholders but rather than the limit for a specific species of fish being confined to 12 months we're going to have in the law the ability for it to go to 24 months or 36 months."
Officials would still be able to intervene if information revealed a need to reduce the quota.
The new rules will allow greater catch limits when fish are abundant. Photo: 123RF
LegaSea chief executive Sam Woolford expressed disappointment at the decision to go ahead with the reform.
He said the ecological impacts of the changes would be "long term and long-lasting", and the industry would suffer in the long-term.
"It just looks like a short term cash grab to me. The reality of fishing both recreation, non-commercial and customary is we need a healthy, abundant, vibrant ecosystem. We need fish in the water," he said.
"These changes, yes they're going to expedite process and remove regulations but at the cost of the environment."
He labelled the decision to exclude onboard camera footage from the Official Information Act (OIA) as "bizarre".
The move was supported by Seafood New Zealand. Chief executive Lisa Futschek said while it supported cameras on fishing vessels, they were a tool for "verification, not vilification".
"We accept that the regulator should have access to footage to ensure that we are doing what we say we do, but to enable members of the general public to see this footage is unfair," she said.
"We also know, sadly, that there are groups who will exploit it for their own gain and potentially use it out of context."
She said the monitored returns provision, in which vessels with either cameras or observers on board are allowed to return unwanted fish to the sea with the fish still counted against their total allocation, would "strongly incentivise" fishers to avoid catching fish they don't want.
Sealord chief executive Doug Paulin said it was a "big improvement" and that the fisheries management regime today was very different from what was in place when the Fisheries Act was first enacted.
He said the reform reflects technological advances in recent years which has made for better management.
Sealord CEO Doug Paulin. Photo: Supplied
He said the changes wouldn't put stock sustainability at risk and was confident the fishing industry would be willing to drop catch limits when required.
"If you catch too many fish then your business doesn't exist into the future. The only way we have a fishing industry is to look after the fish stocks and environment we fish in."
Teanau Tuiono Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Green Party was critical of the changes, calling them "a handout to the fishing industry".
"We've seen what can happen on boats when operators are left to their own devices. Hiding camera footage from the public and expanding catch limits will only lead to more harm for our oceans, taonga species, and our international reputation," Oceans and Fisheries spokesperson Teanau Tuiono said.
"Our oceans are the lifeblood of Aotearoa. We must protect them, not only for their beauty, but for their essential role in sustaining life on our planet.
A Hector's dolphin Photo: Gary Webber/ 123rf
An amendment Bill would be introduced later this year, and people would be able to provide feedback during the select committee process.
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