November 30, 2019
A recent government report on the state of our marine environment raises legitimate concerns about the lack of information on fishing levels, the impacts of fishing, and that fishing has become more industrialised. The report, Environment Aotearoa 2019 was a joint initiative by the Ministry for the Environment and Stats NZ. The report authors make […]
November 29, 2019
Prime fishing areas in the Bay of Plenty have been targeted for closure and LegaSea along with local fishers are pushing back. The closures of some reefs and islands in the area around Motiti are supported by Court decisions, although subject to appeal. The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council has registered as an “interested party” […]
November 22, 2019
From October 1st Stuart Nash has reduced the commercial catch of tarakihi on the east coast of the North and South Islands by 10 percent. LegaSea was calling for a 40 percent reduction. The arguments for minimal cuts were bolstered by an economic report commissioned by Fisheries New Zealand describing the impacts of any changes […]
November 20, 2019
In the Bay of Plenty we don’t have to look far for evidence that the Quota Management System is not working. LegaSea is concerned that the failure of the QMS is having major consequences. Moreover, the inaction by Fisheries New Zealand and the Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash to address the serious issues of depletion […]
November 15, 2019
There is a growing call that the Quota Management System has to go. It is not fit for purpose because it is not delivering on its goals of resource sustainability and economic efficiency. Our fisheries managers need to start applying the environmental and precautionary principles in the Fisheries Act 1996 otherwise Regional Councils will step […]
November 10, 2019
In the same week that our Prime Minister is explaining the Maori concept of kaitiakitanga, guardianship, to the United Nations her fisheries Minister is at home setting catch limits way too high for some fish stocks. Stuart Nash announced his decisions for 20 fish stocks four days before they were due to come into effect […]
November 6, 2019
LegaSea is clear that decisive action needs to be taken now to protect our fish stocks from collapse. That means putting the handbrake on catch increases until we know more about how many fish are in the water. No such restraint is evidenced in the latest management proposals from Fisheries New Zealand. FNZ has just […]
November 5, 2019
There are a lot of things people did in the 1900s that are not acceptable today. One of those unacceptable behaviours is bottom trawling in inshore waters. Science shows us that bottom trawling catches fish indiscriminately and it impacts on the seabed, killing the three dimensional structure that supports essential organisms. Those organisms attract small […]
November 5, 2019
In 2017 MPI openly admitted that bottom trawling and dredging are the most destructive fishing methods, causing damage to seabed habitats and reducing the density and diversity of the species that live there. So why is trawling and dredging still permitted inshore? Mitigating the effects of fishing on the marine environment is a core function […]
October 30, 2019
Bottom trawling is an industrial fishing method that involves dragging a large, weighted net along the seafloor with the intention of mass collection. In this short video, Dr Simon Thrush, a marine scientist from Auckland University, discusses how bottom trawling works and why it is so destructive. LegaSea believes bottom trawling needs to be stopped […]
