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    New Zealand Fisheries, Spring 2006

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    CoastNet
    New Zealand faces challenges in sustainably managing its marine resources and balancing different uses. It has developed a comprehensive individual transferable quota system to manage commercial fisheries. While some fish stocks are at target levels, others require rebuilding strategies. New Zealand is also working to reduce environmental impacts and maintain biodiversity by protecting habitats and reducing seabird and marine mammal bycatch. An ongoing challenge is integrating management of diverse marine activities through a new Oceans Policy.

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    New Zealand Fisheries, Spring 2006

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    CoastNet
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    New Zealand faces challenges in sustainably managing its marine resources and balancing different uses. It has developed a comprehensive individual transferable quota system to manage commercial fisheries. While some fish stocks are at target levels, others require rebuilding strategies. New Zealand is also working to reduce environmental impacts and maintain biodiversity by protecting habitats and reducing seabird and marine mammal bycatch. An ongoing challenge is integrating management of diverse marine activities through a new Oceans Policy.

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    New Zealand faces challenges in sustainably managing its marine resources and balancing different uses. It has developed a comprehensive individual transferable quota system to manage commercial fisheries. While some fish stocks are at target levels, others require rebuilding strategies. New Zealand is also working to reduce environmental impacts and maintain biodiversity by protecting habitats and reducing seabird and marine mammal bycatch. An ongoing challenge is integrating management of diverse marine activities through a new Oceans Policy.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf
    76 views2 pages

    New Zealand Fisheries, Spring 2006

    Uploaded by

    CoastNet
    New Zealand faces challenges in sustainably managing its marine resources and balancing different uses. It has developed a comprehensive individual transferable quota system to manage commercial fisheries. While some fish stocks are at target levels, others require rebuilding strategies. New Zealand is also working to reduce environmental impacts and maintain biodiversity by protecting habitats and reducing seabird and marine mammal bycatch. An ongoing challenge is integrating management of diverse marine activities through a new Oceans Policy.

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    Download as pdf
    of 2

    Managing Fisheries and

    other Marine Resources


    in New Zealand
    New Zealand’s National Manager of Fisheries Operations, Jonathan Peacey gives the NZ
    perspective on fisheries and marine management

    N
    ew Zealand, like allowing catching rights to be bought Rebuilding strategies are in
    many other countries, and sold and fishing effort to be place for most stocks below target
    faces major challenges adjusted to match available catches; levels. Details on the status of fish
    managing marine and improves long-term certainty for stocks are available at http://
    resources. Increasing competition fishing businesses. services.fish.govt.nz/indicators/
    from a wide range of uses is putting
    marine resources under pressure – The industry receives no direct Ensuring compliance
    especially in coastal areas. Using government assistance and pays for all Ensuring adequate compliance is a
    fisheries as an example, this article government services required to challenge in every managed fishery.
    outlines progress in the move from a support commercial fisheries – Experience shows that whatever
    single species, single sector including research and enforcement. limits fishers’ catches – licences,
    management focus to a multi-sector, The commercial fishery was worth effort limitations, ITQs, etc – will be
    ecosystem approach to managing around NZD 1.2 million in 2005, and tested. The Ministry of Fisheries uses
    marine resources. 90 per cent of the catch is exported. a combination of education and
    Establishing long-term catching rights enforcement to help ensure
    The ITQ system in fisheries has encouraged rights appropriate compliance levels.
    New Zealand has a well-developed holders to work together to add value Automatic vessel monitoring
    system for managing individual fish to their rights. Examples include systems are required on all large
    stocks. It was one of the first developing a code of practice to reduce vessels and government observers
    countries to implement Individual marine mammal bycatch, and may be placed on any vessel. Where
    Transferable Quotas (ITQs) in marine obtaining Marine Stewardship Council necessary, penalties are very
    commercial fisheries and, almost 20 certification of the hoki fishery. strong, including forfeiture of
    years on, has the most comprehensive fishing vessels and ITQs, and
    fisheries ITQ system in the world. Setting appropriate catch limits is a imprisonment, for the most serious
    ITQs are now used in almost all challenge in all fisheries, especially offences. Increased enforcement
    significant commercial target fisheries when information is limited. Overall, effort has recently been targeted at
    and for many bycatch species, with 92 the status of New Zealand’s fish stocks unregistered fishers who take high
    species or species complexes managed is pretty good with many stocks at or value species such as rock lobster
    in almost 600 ITQ stocks. near target levels. However, some and paua (abalone). At the other
    stocks have been reduced below levels end of the scale, infringement
    The ITQ system has been fine-tuned that allow the Maximum Sustainable notices have been implemented to
    over the past 20 years and its key Yield to be harvested. In a few cases – simplify penalties for low-level
    elements are now well established. It such as the Challenger Orange Roughy commercial offences and minor
    improves economic efficiency by Stock – stock levels are very low. recreational fishing offences. Multi-

    12 The edge Spring 2006


    New Zealand is working hard to manage the environmental
    effects of fishing – a major challenge in light of the rich
    biodiversity of New Zealand waters. A range of measures is used
    in addition to maintaining target fish stocks at or near target
    levels – an important step in managing food-chain impacts.

    lingual education programmes are Economic Zone (EEZ) are closed to shipping – is managed through many
    used to promote compliance by trawling to protect vulnerable benthic pieces of sometimes conflicting
    recreational fishers. habitat. The Government is classifying legislation. To improve integration,
    all benthic habitats in the EEZ and will relevant government agencies are
    Working to maintain soon determine the minimum area of currently working on an Oceans
    biodiversity each habitat to be protected from Policy. The Policy will address the key
    New Zealand is working hard to adverse effects of fishing. In the issues of determining environmental
    manage the environmental effects of meantime, the industry plans to standards within which all marine
    fishing – a major challenge in light of exclude bottom trawling from 30 per activities should operate, and
    the rich biodiversity of New Zealand cent of the EEZ. allocating access to marine resources
    waters. A range of measures is used in between the different activities. The
    addition to maintaining target fish Allocation of access to marine draft Policy has the overall aim of,
    stocks at or near target levels – an resources in an increasing challenge – “Healthy oceans, wisely managed for
    important step in managing food- within the fisheries sector and the greatest benefit to New Zealand,
    chain impacts. To reduce seabird between fisheries and other sectors. now and in the future”, and includes
    mortalities net-sonde cables are The law requires the Minister of the requirement to ensure the
    banned and fishers are required to use Fisheries to make an allowance for integrity of oceans ecosystems.
    ‘bird-scarer’ lines in longline and trawl recreational and customary Maori
    fisheries. To reduce marine mammal fishers when setting commercial catch New Zealand has made good progress
    bycatch, set nets are banned in some limits. In popular recreational providing for sustainable utilisation of
    areas and there is both a pre-set limit fisheries, allowances are hotly debated individual marine resources and is
    on sealion mortalities and voluntary .The Government is currently facing working hard to address broader
    use of sealion excluder devices by the legal challenges from both environmental effects of human
    industry in a major squid fishery. The recreational and commercial fishers activities. It is now focusing on the
    Government and industry continue to concerning one allocation decision. major challenge of integrating
    work to minimise non-fish bycatch. Work is under way to improve management of different human
    allocation policies. Allocation of activities in the marine environment
    In March 2000, the Government access to coastal waters using a range to meet environmental standards and
    released a 20-year plan to improve the of spatial management tools is also achieve best value from marine
    state of New Zealand’s biodiversity. contentious. Recreational, customary resources.
    One major initiative is the Maori, and commercial fishers are
    development of a network of marine concerned that, without adequate
    protected areas using a range of access to coastal space, they will be
    fisheries management tools and unable to take their share of the catch.
    coastal management tools to provide Jonathan Peacey, National Manager,
    the required level of protection. Developing an Oceans Fisheries Operations. New Zealand
    Already, eight per cent of New Policy Ministry of Fisheries /Te Tautiaka i nga
    Zealand’s territorial sea is in marine In New Zealand, the wide range of tini a Tangaroa PO Box 1020,
    reserves (no fishing is permitted) and marine resource uses – including Wellington, New Zealand
    19 seamounts in the Exclusive fishing, aquaculture, mining, and website: www.fish.govt.nz

    The edge Spring 2006 13

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