Seafood industry moves to protect New Zealand
marine biodiversity
Aotearoa Fisheries Limited (AFL) and Sealord Group Limited are key proponents of a major conservation initiative to close almost one third of Aotearoa's Exclusive Economic Zone to bottom trawling and dredging.
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Key fishing industry players have proposed creating a number of “Benthic Protection Areas” that would effectively close an area four times the size of New Zealand's landmass to some forms of commercial fishing. The move has been hailed as a massive step in the right direction by both sides of the controversial environmental debate.
AFL chief executive Robin Hapi said the 30 areas proposed for fishing exclusion were geographically representative of all deepwater environment classifications and demonstrated the industry's recognition of the need to protect the biodiversity of a largely pristine and untouched benthic environment.
Some 1.2 million square kilometres will be closed to bottom trawling and dredging and the areas chosen for closure extend from the sub-antarctic waters south of Campbell Island to the subtropical Kermadec region. These areas have been exposed to little or no bottom trawling in the past so the ecosystems were expected to be mostly intact.
Mr Hapi, along with Sealord CEO Doug McKay, was among the group of key industry people who supported the proposal to be sent to the Minister of Fisheries.
The proposed closures would mean that 42 percent of seamounts in New Zealand waters would be protected, making it the largest single marine protection measure ever proposed within a nation's EEZ.
The areas would be a significant factor in fulfilling the Government's objectives in the Marine Protected Areas policy.
The proposal also went as far to suggest some areas in international waters also be considered for protection, but this would be determined subject to the development of a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation for the South Pacific.
The proposal was released to the public at the same time the New Zealand Government hosted discussions over the formation of the RFMO in which most South Pacific countries participated.
Since 2003, the Government has been looking at ways to protect tracts of New Zealand's ocean environment and has looked at the establishment of marine reserves and marine protected areas.
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Tiakina ngā rawa hi ika, a tātou kaimoana mo ngā uri whakaheke
Protecting Māori fisheries assets for future generations