New Zealand’s fishing industry is pushing to attain some resolution over the issue of returning fish to the sea.
According to Jeremy Helson, chief executive of Fisheries Inshore New Zealand, discards are common in both commercial and recreational fisheries.
The reasons are varied. Sometimes it is legally required, sometimes it is discretionary and sometimes it is unlawful,” he said.
The fact that this issue has remained unresolved for decades whilst being known to the Ministry for Primary Industries [MPI] is indicative of these complexities.”
The fishing industry has held past discussions with MPI to address the issues and is keen to sit down now again and resolve them, said Helson.
“Just as these issues are complex, there are a range of solutions which industry has identified that could address the underlying causes of this problem, he said.
It’s a matter of understanding the various incentives and disincentives to find the appropriate solutions.
Much of these discussions, alluded to by Helson, have focused on the use of electronic monitoring to address illegal discarding. It is a technique his group is in favor of.
We are supportive of initiatives that provide greater transparency around our operations. For example, individual companies have invested in a trial of electronic monitoring of fishing vessels in the Auckland snapper fishery.”
Electronic monitoring on vessels is part of the solution, but it is unlikely to be the whole answer. There are a number of legal and policy issues to be addressed to ensure the settings are right for the widespread use of electronic monitoring.”
“We welcome the opportunity to discuss these with MPI as one important piece of the puzzle, said Helson.