Published in The Adventurer, February 2025
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, Shane Jones is seeking to overhaul fisheries management by stripping back regulations and removing so-called ‘red tape’— to enable the commercial fishing industry to catch and export more fish.
Behind layers of political jargon, the changes proposed in a 71-page document pose serious risks, threatening to remove public consultation, weaken camera regulations on fishing vessels and allow for more dead fish thrown overboard. It’s a wish list of changes sought by quota owners for decades.
We have less than six weeks to review and submit on these proposals, by 28 March. Not much time considering that the Minister and commercial fishing industry have been constructing them for the past 13 months.
These changes aren’t designed with our best interests in mind. Their primary purpose is to prioritise private interests – such as commercial quota owners – while the need for Kiwis to have access to fish to feed their families is once again an afterthought.
Earlier this month, leaders of New Zealand’s commercial lobby stood side by side with Shane Jones as he unveiled the proposed changes to the Fisheries Act. Meanwhile, environmental and recreational fishing representatives weren’t invited to the event.
It was a clear demonstration of regulatory capture, where those who are meant to be governed are instead steering the ship.
Shane Jones’s proposals span various sectors, but they all reek of self-governance. Placing more power in the hands of the Minister himself and serving those who are eager to export more fish from our waters. It’s also a handy exit strategy for Fisheries New Zealand who can now point the blame elsewhere when our fish populations decline
One proposal allows quota owners to carry forward uncaught annual fish tallies into the following year. In most cases, if fishers aren’t catching their allocation it indicates that catch limits are too high, the fish stock has been depleted, or both.
Instead of adjusting limits appropriately, this change risks further depletion of our inshore fisheries, leaving future generations to deal with the consequences.
Another concerning change would allow unwanted fish to be discarded overboard at sea, leaving trails of dead fish in the wake of trawlers. The Minister argues that fish returned dead to the ocean is better than letting them rot in landfills. However, transitioning to more selective harvest techniques would leave those fish unmolested, to grow bigger.
Thanks to widespread public opposition in 2022, then-Minister David Parker removed similar amendments to the Fisheries Act, to prioritise the environment and protect public interests. So there is hope we can turn this ship around again.
LegaSea is preparing a comprehensive submission opposing the proposed amendments but we still need your support. Click here to learn more about what the proposed changes will mean for you, our future of fishing and how you can have your say.
