More fish in the water. To get there we need to transition away from bottom trawling inshore, to more selective fishing techniques. That includes long lining, trapping, hand gathering shellfish and even spearfishing for species such as kingfish. It’s clear the status quo isn’t working. What we need is a bold reform that puts the fish first, restores abundance and benefits all Kiwis including small-scale commercial fishers.

Just imagine a system where those fishers doing the hard yards every day out on the water could earn a good return for their hard work, fishing local waters while delivering freshly caught fish to their community. Our alternative policy – Rescue Fish ticks all of these boxes.