Latest news with #FisheriesNZ
Scoop
08-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Key Orange Roughy Population On Verge Of Collapse: Government Considers Closure
New data reveals that New Zealand's main orange roughy fishery, accounting for half of the country's total catch, is on the brink of collapse, with one model showing it may have reached that point already, and the government's considering closing it. The scientific report from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), released last week, indicates that the fishery, known as East and South Chatham Rise (ESCR) is in a dire state, with over 80% of the original orange roughy population wiped out. The stock assessment puts the population at 8-18% of its original size (10% is generally considered the collapse of a fishery) Meanwhile, a Fisheries NZ consultation document indicates the government is considering closing the fishery, which has never been closed before. 'This data is consistent with what environmentalists have been saying for years - that bottom trawling has pushed this species to the brink,' says Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Ellie Hooper on board the Rainbow Warrior which has just been on the Chatham Rise. 'It's clear that this fishery needs to be closed, and that key spawning habitats - seamounts and features - need to be protected from bottom trawling for sustainable fish populations.' The wider Chatham Rise fishery has recently been under scrutiny after it was revealed a bottom trawler, which was confirmed as fishing for orange roughy, hauled up 6 tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl at the end of last year. 'What we're seeing is a perfect storm of poor fishery management: a stock driven to the brink of collapse by overfishing, the loss of key spawning grounds through heavy trawling on seamounts, and the wholesale destruction of ancient coral ecosystems,' said Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. 'This is a fishery that's been so overfished it's not predicted to recover for at least a generation - and that's just the fish population' says Barry Weeber of Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa (ECO). 'Those same bottom trawlers destroy corals that can be hundreds, even thousands of years old, and will take many lifetimes to recover. If we want a healthy ocean and fisheries for the next generation, we need to change the way we fish' This same (ESCR) Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery lost its Marine Stewardship Council 'sustainable' tick in 2023 after a stock survey revealed declining catch rates instead of the projected stock recovery, and the stock assessment was declared invalid. Next week, the Environmental Law Initiative is taking the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to court over the mismanagement of the wider Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery. The case will be heard in the High Court, Wellington on 7-9 July 2025.
1News
23-06-2025
- 1News
Former fishing firm boss jailed over black market snapper operation
A former fishing company boss who knew fish - including nearly 15 tonnes of snapper - was being illegally caught and landed has been jailed for 16 months. Glen Owen Wright was sentenced in the Auckland District Court last Thursday for his role as a former director of All Weather Fishing Company Limited. Prosecutors said Wright's company illegally caught and landed nearly 15 tonnes of snapper, and more than 140kg of kahawai and 40kg of grey mullet. The 37-year-old faced a representative charge under the Fisheries Act for failing to prevent the offending, along with obstructing a fishery officer, according to Fisheries NZ. Wright is currently imprisoned for unrelated offences. ADVERTISEMENT A Fisheries NZ spokesperson said the sentencing of Wright in the agency's case marked the end of a "long" investigation, which included successful prosecutions of another company and individuals for related offending. "The court's sentence ... should send a strong message that there are serious consequences for anyone involved in this type of black market trade," said fisheries compliance director Steve Ham. "The company did not have the required quota to legally catch the fish and did not report or record the catch. The rules are there to ensure sustainability for everyone. "The court found Mr Wright was aware that fish was being caught and landed illegally by his company but did nothing to prevent it. "The vast majority of commercial fishers do the right thing. This fish was stolen, and the motivation was greed and profit." The illegally caught fish was tracked to another prosecution case, Fisheries NZ said. In August last year, Sea World Limited, which traded as Seamart, and an employee, Marco Taukatelata, were sentenced at the Auckland District Court. ADVERTISEMENT Taukatelata was handed a jail term of three years and seven months. A former company director, 43-year-old Haihong Liu, also appeared in court and was sentenced to 12 months' home detention on two charges, including an attempt to pervert the course of justice. Seamart was fined $360,000 for illegally supplying fish valued at over $348,000 to other seafood companies last year, according to Fisheries NZ.
NZ Herald
06-05-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Whangārei lawyer challenges Northland scallop ban in high court
He said the advice had been based on surveys from 2021 that showed some Northland scallop beds were unable to support a sustainable harvest. Those same surveys had also found Whangārei Harbour had a high abundance and density of scallops, and could support a sustainable scallop harvest, Badham said. He noted Fisheries NZ had told the former Government that Whangārei Harbour was an outlier when compared to other depleted scallop areas in Northland. Fisheries NZ disagreed its research was flawed. It said its surveys represented scallop beds broadly across Northland, which had shown a general decline over time. Badham has delivered on his promise in 2023 to take his battle to the courtroom. He has filed an application for judicial review in the High Court at Whangārei to overturn the ban on scallop gathering in the Whangārei Harbour. Director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said Fisheries NZ was aware of legal action and was considering the statement of claim filed. Taylor said any further comment would be inappropriate as the matter was before the court. Badham, a recreational diver for nearly 40 years, was surprised by the closure. 'I jumped into the water in June 2024 to have a look at various scallop beds in the Whangārei Harbour,' he said. 'As I expected, there were incredible densities of large scallops in most of the scallop beds that I inspected.' Badham reported other recreational divers had told him similar. He approached both Fisheries NZ and current Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones about his claims. Jones declined to comment when approached by the Northern Advocate for the same reason as Fisheries NZ. Badham communicated with Fisheries NZ regarding his belief about the errors he said were backed up by documents obtained via the Official Information Act. Fisheries NZ stood by its advice for a full closure. Allowing access to popular scallop beds while the remainder of the fishery was closed cause recreational fishing efforts and catch displaced from the wider fishery concentrated on those beds, it said. Badham believed in ensuring the longevity of scallop populations. 'Provided that the harvest is sustainable, the gathering of seafood for the table is an important part of the Northland culture,' he said. 'It is of utmost importance to ensure that the resource can be enjoyed by future generations.' Since the scallop fishery closure, Badham has banded together with family and friends interested in the Whangārei Harbour to form the Whangārei Fisheries Protection Society Inc. Badham said the society was the applicant in the court application filed on March 25. The Crown is expected to file its defence by Thursday.
