“Misinformation” about trawling on seamounts painted an incorrect picture of the practice, says a deepwater seafood industry group in New Zealand.
The Deepwater Group made a submission to Parliament’s environment select committee this week.
In August the committee heard from the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition about the destructive impact of bottom trawling in New Zealand waters. It submitted a 52,000-signature petition calling for a ban on the fishing practice on seamounts, or underwater mountains, and similar deep-sea features.
In its submission to the committee the industry group – which represents quota owners of New Zealand’s deepwater fisheries – said it strongly disagreed with the need to ban bottom trawling on seamounts, “not only because of a low risk to corals and seabed habitats as a result of careful and balanced management but doing so would be disproportional to the balance that is both intended and required by the Fisheries Act 1996”.
Read more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/126961769/fisheries-group-opposes-ban-on-bottom-trawling-of-seamounts