Articles

Bay of Plenty where gurnard are scarce

July 7, 2016 Gurnard are a special treat so it is concerning that increasing numbers of people are highlighting the scarcity of this prized fish on the eastern seaboard. For years they have been a rare catch in the Hauraki Gulf. Now it seems Bay of Plenty fishers are starting to feel the bite. Decades of inshore trawling […]

Fryday Fryup – 1 July

July 1, 2016 Welcome to the FryUp – a regular look back at the week of fishing in the news. Fishing for answers The University of Auckland’s catch reconstruction report continues to upset officials across the country and you’ve got to wonder why. Have a look at the fishing section on the MPI website and you’ll find an […]

Compensation threats holding back restoration

June 25, 2016 Threats of compensation claims over the years have heavily influenced Ministerial decisions, even when the need for a catch reduction was obvious. Now we have a litany of fish stocks with uncatchable Total Allowable Commercial Catches (TACCs) and no prospects of precautionary management in sight. It is time we clarified the nature of quota so […]

Fryday Fryup – 24 June

June 24, 2016 Welcome to the FryUp – a regular look back at the week of fishing in the news. Call to ban all fishing in Hawke’s Bay Grim news from the Hawke’s Bay where concerned fishers are pushing to have all industrial fishing pushed out beyond the 50m depth contour. Last week we reported on local MP […]

Sunlight: the best disinfectant for exposing flaws

June 23, 2016 There is an ongoing furore over the revelations in two official reports that Ministry for Primary Industries officials knew commercial trawl fishers were illegally dumping, discarding and high grading fish but did nothing to stop the crimes or perpetrators. Our New Zealand Sport Fishing Council fisheries team has submitted several Official Information Act requests to […]

Not all fishermen are liars

June 23, 2016 Paul Henry might have been exaggerating when he said recently that all fishermen are liars, but for New Zealand authorities to be caught red-handed under reporting total catch by half to the United Nations for the past 60 years, that’s in another league. The strident denials then ‘shoot the messenger’ reactions from the Minister for […]

Fryday Fryup – 17 June

June 17, 2016 Welcome to the FryUp – a regular look back at the week of fishing in the news. Double the primary exports It’s Fieldays time again and so the Ministry for Primary Industries is talking up the future of all things edible. The goal – to double primary exports to $64 billion a year by 2025. Currently, […]

Barry Torkington: It’s time we knew the truth about our quota system

June 15, 2016 What a shambles our fisheries management is in, claim and denial met by counter claim and more strident denial. The public relations outfits must be licking their lips and counting the dollars. The average New Zealander just wants to know the truth, so here is the start. Of course fishermen dump fish over the side. […]

New Zealand’s international reputation at stake

June 15, 2016 For 30 years New Zealanders have been sold the line that our Quota Management System is a world leader when it comes to both protecting fish stocks and encouraging a culture of stewardship. Kiwis and the world have been sold a pup.

Sequence of failures gives reason for change

June 3, 2016 Revelations there have been no prosecutions after investigations into blatant fish dumping, catch misreporting, and high grading aboard coastal and deep sea trawlers are alarming. Even more disturbing is the refusal of officials to acknowledge and address the underlying problems embedded in the Quota Management System (QMS). Realistically, the Ministry for Primary Industries is never […]