12 February 2025
This morning’s announcement by Shanes Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, proposed major changes to the Fisheries Act that threaten to remove public consultation, weaken governance, camera regulations, and discard rules.
During the press conference, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries was overt in his support for commercial fishers and quota owners. At the same time, there was a conspicuous absence of any environmental or public fishing interests.
Sam Woolford from LegaSea is concerned that the proposed changes will not benefit the public or the marine environment. “As the commercial sector stood side by side with the Minister in a joint press conference, it reflected a remarkable display of solidarity and with no other stakeholders in sight it was clear there had been a lack of consultation.
“The proposed changes are designed to maximise economic returns for company shareholders, with the marine environment once again being an afterthought.”
You may remember in 2022, LegaSea, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and environmental groups lobbied against an eerily similar reform to the Fisheries Act referred to as the Fisheries Amendment Bill. Thanks to your support, more than 6000 public submissions opposed the proposed Bill.
The public pushback led the Minister at the time David Parker to remove the controversial provisions in the Bill and prioritise the environment. We continue to celebrate this brave decision by the Minister.
“The commercial fishing industry has been lobbying successive governments to loosen regulations around commercial fishing for decades. They have failed each time because the public has pushed back. Now it seems that fisheries officials have been collaborating with industry lobbyists behind closed doors for months, developing a proposal that delivers on their priorities. Plus, they are likely to get compliance from a self-confessed ‘friend’ of the industry,” says Mike Plant, New Zealand Sport Fishing Council spokesperson.
In 2024, information released by MPI showed that since the introduction of cameras on commercial fishing boats, the volume of fish discarded has increased by 46%, compared to what fishers were previously reporting.
When referring to discarding fish at sea, the Minister used the phrase “returning fish to the marine environment”. In reality, fish are already dead or seriously injured when they land on the deck.
“Commercial fishing refers to this as bycatch – but make no mistake, it’s still catch. It’s simply a byproduct of non-selective, indiscriminate fishing techniques. The rule should be clear: catch the fish you target, and if you can’t, then don’t fish at all. Dumping low-value species or low-grade fish only opens the door for high-grading within the industry, especially when the public isn’t privy to the camera footage. The proposed changes fail to encourage a shift toward more selective harvesting techniques; they’re all about economic gain, and that will inevitably lead to environmental consequences,” Plant said.
Another proposed amendment includes allowing the commercial industry to carry forward Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE). “It’s self-governance. If there isn’t enough fish to catch their allocation then it’s an obvious sign that catch limits have been allocated and must be reviewed. Self-governance is an exit strategy for Fisheries New Zealand who can now point the blame elsewhere when our fish populations decline,” says Woolford.
All in all, it seems like a commercial fishing industry wish list, and this year, Christmas has come early.
Fisheries NZ have given the public until 28 March 2025 to review all 71 pages of the consultation document, digest what it all means and then write a submission. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Stay tuned over the next couple of weeks as we will guide you through what the proposed changes will mean for you and our marine environment and how you can have your say.
How to Help:
➞ Forward this email on to friends and family and urge them to stay up to date by signing up to receive LegaSea updates.
➞ Share this on Facebook or other Social Media.
➞ Donate to LegaSea – we’re going to need all the help we can get to overturn this one!
Useful Links:
➞ Proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act: Consultation Document.
MPI. February 2025.
➞ Fisheries Amendment Bill – Record of process.
NZSFC. August 2022.
➞ Update on the rollout of onboard cameras in commercial fishing vessels.
MPI. April 2024
