Latest news with #fishingIndustry
RNZ News
08-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Conservation group calls for Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery closure, bottom trawling ban
An orange roughy. Photo: Mountains to Sea A conservation group says the country's largest orange roughy fishery is "past the brink" of collapse - but shutting parts of it down will not be enough to save it. The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) has begun consultation on this year's orange roughy catch limit, and has included the option to close the East and South Chatham Rise fishery. In the early '80s and '90s, 20,000-30,000 tonnes of orange roughy were pulled out of the ocean every year in the area that spans the Chatham to the sub-Antarctic Islands - known as the Chatham Rise or ORH 3B. But an MPI review this year estimated some orange roughy populations had reduced by up to 90 percent. The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition said closing a section of the Chatham Rise fishery was a start, but not enough - and wanted to see a blanket ban on bottom sea trawling in all orange roughy breeding grounds. Meanwhile, a case over orange roughy management decisions in 2023 will wrap up on Wednesday at the High Court in Wellington. Citing the years following the "gold rush" of the '80s and '90s, Deep Sea Conservation Coalition's Karli Thomas said the proposal to shut down parts of the orange roughy fishery was nothing new. However, she said the current proposal was significant, given the size of the fishery, and a first in recent years. After reducing the catch limit by 40 percent in 2023 - from 7967 to 4752 - due to sustainability concerns, MPI is asking for feedback on further reductions for the Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery. The options include a catch limit reduction by 23 percent, 42 percent or 60 percent, with the fourth option seeing the closure of the sub-fishery, the East and South Chatham Rise, and the fastest return to healthy stock levels. Thomas said her group would submit in support of the fourth option - but was sceptical that alone would save the fishery when modelling suggested some parts of it were already collapsed. Deep Sea Conservation Coalition's Karli Thomas. Photo: Supplied / Deep Sea Conservation Coalition "We're definitely past the brink. "All the modelling is showing that 80 percent of the population has gone, in some cases more than 90 percent is gone, and that's generally considered the point of collapse for a fishery." She said the fishery's "disastrous state" was a reflection of poor management and wanted to see a complete ban on bottom sea trawling of the fish's breeding grounds and habitat - the impacts of which, she said, were two-fold. "Its habitat is being destroyed, because bottom trawls basically plough through coral gardens , and secondly these fish are being targeted in the very places - the seamounts (underwater mountains) - they go to breed. "So, if we're also disrupting their life cycle - the fish really just don't stand a chance." She said a single orange roughy trawl brought up six tonnes of coral last year. MPI director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said bycatch of that scale, while unfortunate, was very rare. "There are a range of measures in place to minimise the effect of fishing on coral and other habitats, including closures to prevent dredging and trawling on 32 percent of New Zealand's seabed." Despite a catch limit of 4752 tonnes in the 2023-2024 year, only 2691 tonnes of orange roughy were reportedly caught. The figures followed a gradual increase in catch limit size, after a quota low of 3600 tonnes in 2012-2013. A MPI survey of orange roughy stock at the East and South Chatham Rise in 2023 found stock levels were either "flat or declining" - and inconsistent with a previous assessment. That assessment was later rejected. Taylor said the uncertainty about the state of the orange roughy stock led to the precautionary and significant 40 percent catch limit reduction. The management decisions in 2023 are currently being challenged in the High Court at Wellington, with the Environmental Law Initiative claiming the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries failed to consider the harmful effects of bottom trawling in the Chatham Rise. A video still showing orange roughy swimming up to one kilometre below the surface off the South Island. Photo: SUPPLIED Taylor said in the time since, there had been significant work done to update the model used to assess the fishery, "as well as acoustic surveys and other research into the state of the fishery". New information showed more needed to be done to put the "fishery back on track to meet sustainability targets", she said, and Fisheries New Zealand was asking for public feedback on a range of options - including closure. A May 2025 assessment estimated orange roughy stock levels between 8-18 percent of the original biomass (population). The target management range is 30-50 percent. Taylor said orange roughy fisheries had been closed in the past due to concerns about sustainability, as had other fisheries. "Following this consultation, we will prepare advice for Fisheries Minister Shane Jones to make decisions on any changes, which would come into effect for the fishing year starting 1 October 2025." Consultation runs until 28 July. The orange roughy, which lives at depths of up to 1.5km, is slow growing and can live up to 120-130 years - with some reaching more than 200 years-old. Thomas said their long life cycle made them particularly vulnerable to overfishing. She said although they began breeding in their mid-twenties to thirties, it was not until they were in their seventies or eighties that they spawned every year. She said the ocean had an amazing ability to recover, but it would likely take a human lifetime for the orange roughy to bounce back. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Fishing sector to have fees waived amid algal bloom 'uncertainty', which has now spread to Port River
South Australian commercial fishers can apply to have licence and other government fees waived if their catches have been impacted by the state's toxic algal bloom, which has now spread to the Port River. Fishers have been calling on the state government for financial relief amid the ongoing Karenia mikimotoi outbreak, which Environment Minister Susan Close estimates has led to "tens of thousands, if not more, individual animals" washing up dead on the state's beaches. Following talks with the commercial fishing industry, the state government today said affected fishers could apply for certain licence and audit fees to be waived from April to June as part of an initial $500,000 relief package. That announcement coincided with the revelation that the most recent monitoring had detected the algae in the Port River. "The latest results of that monitoring are that indeed, as expected, Karenia mikimotoi has appeared in the Port River and is at reasonably high concentrations around Garden Island and Outer Harbor," Ms Close said. She said while the concentration there was "nothing near like" what was detected at the beginning of the bloom "when we had a massive form of algae that was around the size of Kangaroo Island", it was important that the algae's spread remained under observation. "The testing that is occurring from Port Noarlunga all the way up to Outer Harbor is going to be really useful for us to track not only where it is but its concentration," she said. In a statement, the National Parks and Wildlife Service SA said dolphins in the sanctuary were "not believed to be at immediate risk" and the department would continue to monitor water quality. The government said the bloom was having a "devastating" impact on parts of the commercial fishing sector, and acknowledged catches had declined in Gulf St Vincent, and around Kangaroo Island and Yorke Peninsula. It said commercial fishers could be eligible to have fees — including PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture annual licence fees, and Biosecurity SA Food Safety Scheme and audit fees — waived. "The fishing sector is really reeling because of the uncertainty," Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven said. "We can provide up to $500,000 in fee relief for affected commercial fishers — so this means that those who haven't been able to fish or who have been out fishing incurring costs but not catching anything will be able to have their fees waived. "That will happen in retrospect for the last quarter, so they can either take that as a credit going forward or they can take that as a refund which may well help with cashflow, which is so important to a lot of small businesses." Ms Scriven urged licence holders to work with their industry associations to apply for the fee relief. "What we'll need to see is that there's been a drop in their fishing. We have catch figures from previous years and then their catch records from this year, so that will be one of the items that will feed into that," she said. "Fees are a significant part of their operating costs — there are of course more, some of which are within government but most of which are not. We'll continue to work with them to look at what is the most appropriate type of assistance." Ms Scriven said that both she and Ms Close were "keen that this [algal bloom] has national recognition". Yesterday, the Greens called on the federal government to declare the algal outbreak a national disaster. Ms Close today said she had this morning spoken to federal Environment Minister Murray Watt about that very issue, and about securing support. "What I've been talking to the Minister about at the Commonwealth level is that we will ask for some assistance with the recovery stage," Ms Close said. "There's a question about the extent to which it's possible to declare it a national disaster on the basis of the definitions that they use. "We're in conversation with them at the bureaucratic level just about whether that needs to be adjusted, recognising that an algal bloom has not previously had such an impact before, whether it's time to update that list." The South Australian Professional Fishers Association welcomed the waiving of fees, but also indicated that the need for support was likely to grow with the passage of time. "We haven't seen the worst of this disaster yet," chairperson Ben Barnes said. "[For] the fishers in this time of need, it'll be much appreciated and we hope to move forward and keep this rolling, because the devastation to the commercial sector is absolutely unreal.
CNN
28-06-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Threatened by supercharged storms and rising oceans, Filipino fishing communities are fighting for their lives
Simplicio Calicoy was celebrating his birthday outside his daughter's home on Maliwaliw Island in the Philippines when strong winds started to whip around them. The fisherman and his family rushed inside but the gusts began to tear apart the house. Desperate to escape, they found the door pinned shut by the wind, forcing them to squeeze through a window. Calicoy was hit by a steel rod swinging from the ceiling, blinding him in one eye. When he returned to the village hours later, 'there was nothing left,' he said. Calicoy and his family were lucky to survive Super Typhoon Haiyan, known to Filipinos as Yolanda, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones in recorded history, which devastated the Philippines in November 2013. It killed at least 6,000 people, wrecked tens of thousands of boats and devastated the fishing industry people like Calicoy depend on for their survival. Simplicio Calicoy was partially blinded while escaping the destruction of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The Philippines is a cluster of more than 7,600 islands, which lie between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea and are home to around 115 million people. Here, the ocean is everything. The country boasts 10,400 square miles of some of the planet's most biodiverse coral reef and its fishing industry is its lifeblood, providing around 1.6 million jobs and the main source of protein for Filipino families. But this industry is under threat as the human-caused climate crisis raises sea levels and supercharges the storms that increasingly batter the country. The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable places to typhoons in the world. Last year it was pummeled by a record-breaking six consecutive storms in just 30 days. On Maliwaliw Island, the non-government organization Guiuan Development Foundation Inc. organized the relocation of the entire village to a safer location, using private funds to purchase land and build new homes. Rosalie Inso, pictured with her son Raymark, is the president of the Barangay Buluan Fisherfolk Organization, which works to protect the marine resources in their area. Children in the municipality of Kabasalan take fish their family caught to the local market to sell. A fisherman on Tubabao Island stands on the bow of his family's boat. Decades of environmental destruction make the country even more vulnerable. Mangrove forests, which buffer the coast against storms and provide vital habitats for marine life, have been razed. Some fishers are also turning to Illegal, destructive fishing practices such as trawling, dynamite, and cyanide, as ocean resources dwindle and incomes fall. The picture looks bleak, but small-scale fishers throughout the country are trying to reverse these trends and preserve the industry for future generations. They are protecting the ocean, restoring ecosystems and rethinking the way they fish. It's a tough job and an uphill battle in the face of the escalating impacts of a global climate crisis for which richer countries bear overwhelming responsibility. But it's yielding results. Sergio Badilla and his son Junior fish using a baklad, or fish corral — a stationary trap consisting of rows of bamboo poles, plastic nets, and other materials fenced with split bamboo or wire mesh, with one or more enclosures, featuring an easy entry but difficult exit. Although widely used and regulated in the Philippines, baklads, like this one seen off Tubabao Island, are considered unsustainable because they are permanently installed in coastal waters and indiscriminately trap whatever enters them. There are more than 1,800 marine protected areas in the Philippines — slices of ocean supposed to be safeguarded from human destruction — but corruption, lack of resources, and pressures from the powerful commercial fishing industry have made enforcement a challenge. Community-based volunteers across the country have responded by setting up Bantay Dagat, or Sea Patrol, where local people patrol marine sanctuaries around the clock from guard houses and boats. They use lights, binoculars and megaphones to warn fishers away and have the power to detain anyone found illegally fishing and hand them over to the police. Norberto, Ruben and Ramil are part of a sea patrol monitoring the Buluan Marine Sanctuary in the southern Philippines, where illegal fishing used to be rampant. They say their work is having an impact. Would-be illegal fishers are 'more afraid because they know there's law enforcement now, and they don't want to be fined or end up in jail,' Ruben said. Neil Montemar is the president of the Andulay Fishermen's Association, an organization that works with the local government unit to protect a 15-acre marine sanctuary. 'Monitoring the sanctuary is hard work,' Mentemar said, 'because there will always be people who try to break the rules and fish inside the sanctuary, especially at night.' Leo Betorio and his wife Melanie are crab fishermen who live on Tubabao Island. They have been fishing since they were teenagers, but now their catch is much smaller and it is sometimes a struggle to feed their family. Leo blames it on the sharp increase in the number of fishermen competing in the same coastal areas, which shortens the time fish and crabs to reproduce. It's a win-win for the community, Norberto said. 'I can provide for my family while protecting the natural resources for my entire community.' This kind of work is achingly hard, and those patrolling protected areas can face pushback from their peers. Neil Montemar, president of the Andulay Fishermen's Association, which works with local government to protect a 15-acre marine sanctuary, said he initially faced violent reactions. 'The fishermen felt they were being denied their cultural rights,' he said. Attitudes softened, however, as people began to understand the benefits. More volunteers joined. There are now increasing numbers of fish outside the protected areas, and protected areas are now providing income from tourism, he said. At night, the fishermen of Siaton go spearfishing to put extra food on their tables. It is one of the most sustainable methods of fishing, because it lets fishermen be the most selective by quantity, size, and species, and do not require bait. Leo Betorio and his wife Melanie hold a female crab with a cluster of orange eggs under her apron. Although this type of crab is more valuable on the market, Leo and Melanie bring them to an onshore crab hatchery, organized by their community to promote repopulation. To combat rising water temperatures and the spread of disease, seaweed farmers in the Zamboanga Sibugay Gulf are relocating their farms to deeper waters and planting mangroves along the coast to prevent sediment from mountain floods and improve water quality. 'Everyone should take responsibility and do their part to protect the sanctuary because it is our bank and if we do not take care of it, we will lose everything,' Montemar said. Another huge issue for the fishing industry, and food security in the Philippines, is the destruction of the country's mangrove forests. For decades, mangroves were seen by many as an obstacle to navigation and a source of wood for timber and charcoal. Acres of these coastal jungles, which also store planet-heating carbon, have also been razed to make way for commercial fishponds. Some communities are trying to reverse this trend, as they increasingly recognize the decline of mangroves is accompanied by a decline in catches. Small-scale fishermen's alliances dedicated to restoring these ecosystems have sprung up. Angela measures the height of a planted mangrove on Handayan Island, in order to monitor its growth. The deep root networks of mangrove forests hold land together, providing protection for communities vulnerable to sea level rise and severe weather. A statue of a parrotfish has been erected in Ipil, near the Buluan Marine Sanctuary and other areas of mangrove restoration, to symbolize and celebrate the community's shift away from destructive fishing practices. Thanks to the restoration of the mangrove ecosystem, a suitable habitat has been created for the cultivation of "talaba" or mud oysters. Their cultivation is extremely advantageous for its low cost and high yield. Fisherman Roberto 'Ka Dodoy' Ballon, leads KGMC, a community organization in Kabasalan set up in 1986. Its aim is to end destructive fishing practices and restore mangroves. The organization has so far replanted nearly 15,000 acres, and the community has seen results, with numbers of groupers, crabs, clams and shrimps increasing significantly. Kabasalan is now one of the few places in the Philippines with a productive wild shrimp fishery, increasing the income of fishing families. Ballon was recognized for his work with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, often called the Nobel Prize of Asia, in 2021. Roberto "Ka Dodoy" Ballon realized that the mangrove ecosystem must be preserved for marine life to serve as a constant source of food and to guarantee livelihoods. Since the restoration of its mangroves, Kabasalan is one of the few places in the Philippines with a productive wild shrimp fishery. Handayan Island, in the province of Bohol, is also focusing on mangroves. The island was struck hard by Super Typhoon Odette in 2011, with many losing their homes and livelihoods. Communities started reforesting in 2021, supported by the Zoological Society of London, with the aim of restoring mangroves as a natural barrier to help protect them from destructive storms: their deep roots help absorb energy from storm surges and protect against erosion, while the trunk, leaves and branches above act as a natural wind break. Small-scale fishers in the Philippines are on the front line of a climate crisis beyond their control: from intensifying storms to ocean warming and acidification that destroys the coral reef on which their fishing depends. Children ride tricycles and bicycles down a boardwalk in the village on Maliwaliw Island. Fish swim in the Buluan Island Marine Sanctuary. Men clean fish in Guiuan. Ultimately, fishing may cease to be the nation's lifeblood, said Søren Knudsen, director of the non-profit Marine Conservation Philippines. 'The future of coastal communities in the Philippines is not based on a fishing ocean economy, but rather tourism and services,' he said. But for now, coastal communities are battling for survival and showing how important community action can be. 'The whole ecosystem is part of our lives,' said KGMC's Ballon . 'Without the sea, the mangroves, the rivers, we are nothing. We must protect our natural resources, not only for our own benefit, but more importantly for future generations.' A boat is steered through Kabasalan, known throughout the Philippines for its ecosystem restoration and rich fisheries
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Has The Waterfront Season 2 Been Renewed or Canceled?
The Waterfront revolves around the Buckley family and their domination of Havenport, North Carolina, encompassing the fishing industry and the restaurant business. However, the fishing empire begins to crumble, and the patriarch Harlin tries his best to keep it afloat. Following the show's premiere, fans have become increasingly curious about its future. So, is The Waterfront canceled or renewed for a Season 2? Here is everything you need to know about the future of the crime drama series. As of now, The Waterfront Season 2 has neither been renewed nor canceled by Netflix. Season 1 premiered on June 19, 2025. It has a total of 8 episodes. Fans were looking forward to extra episodes due to Netflix's somewhat newer strategy of releasing its shows' seasons in parts. The streaming giant followed this pattern with numerous shows, including Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, Outer Banks, and Beauty in Black, among others. The upcoming season of Stranger Things is also scheduled to release in three parts. However, The Waterfront is following Netflix's regular strategy of releasing all its episodes at once on the scheduled date. Additionally, there is a curiosity regarding the show's future. It is yet to be renewed for a second installment, and it hasn't been canceled either. The Waterfront's potential next season announcement might take some time, as the show has just premiered. Based on its critical reception and viewership, Netflix is likely to decide on a renewal later this year. Crime dramas tend to do well in terms of viewership if they are executed well. Furthermore, The Waterfront's storyline also has the potential to be explored in more installments, with new challenges and drama surrounding the Buckley family. The Waterfront's cast features Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, and Melissa Benoist, among others. The post Has The Waterfront Season 2 Been Renewed or Canceled? appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
CBC
03-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
N.S. lobster harvesters reflect on challenging season amid tariffs
With the end of the spring lobster season in Nova Scotia over the weekend, some harvesters say U.S. and Chinese tariffs had them struggling to keep their heads above water. Josh Hoffman has the story.
