Fishing boats in port on the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
New Zealand's government is inviting public feedback on a sweeping package of reforms aimed at updating the country’s fisheries legislation.
The proposed changes, according to New Zealand Fisheries Minister Shane Jones, are intended to "remove unnecessary regulations that impede productivity and the potential of the sector", and were developed following a seafood industry forum established last year.
“Sustainability will always be the bottom line for fisheries management, and there’s an opportunity to lift export revenue by improving productivity and efficiency, rather than catch volume,” Jones said in a press statement.
“These proposals make the most of improvements to data collection to drive an effective and efficient fisheries system, while continuing to ensure healthy sustainable fisheries," he added.
In recent years, New Zealand has introduced new data collection methods including electronic catch reporting, satellite tracking, and on-board cameras, in addition to direct observation.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries indicated it now hopes to capitalise on this data resource in a bid for greater efficiency, stating "We now have access to better quality and more frequent data through electronic reporting by fishers and verification of some of this data by onboard cameras and fisheries observers. The proposed changes respond to the Government’s goals and take advantage of new data and analytical tools to improve how we manage New Zealand’s fisheries."
The Minister said the proposed reforms "recognise the need to cut red tape from decision-making processes and improve responsiveness, efficiency and certainty", and added that these "include a range of options that would be applied to set sustainable catch limits while accounting for the strength of information available, the characteristics of the fish stock, and environmental and socio-economic factors."
“This includes enhancing protections for on-board camera footage, amending the scope of where monitoring is not practical or necessary, and clarifying when cameras must be used. Finally, the proposals set out ways the rules around discards can be made more practical and workable for fishers where there is monitoring by onboard cameras or fisheries observers," Jones added.
The public consultation opened on 12 February and will close at 5pm on 28 March 2025. The Ministry announced it will also be holding 3 public online meetings regarding the proposed reforms, on 24 February, 3 March, and 13 March 2025.
