Fisheries consultation under way in New Zealand appears to be at odds with the latest advice from the finance sector and precious wildlife is getting caught in the crossfire, the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust says.
Trust general manager Anna Campbell said the fewer than 100 yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) chicks that hatched in mainland New Zealand this breeding season had started to fledge, but "sadly, most of these chicks will be lost at sea".
"We need to know why because every loss catapults the species closer to extinction."
To that end, Mrs Campbell took issue with the direction of Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) consultation on proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act, promoted by Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones.
A proposed easing of regulations around on-board cameras and another proposal to let fishing boats with cameras or observers dump unwanted catch at sea had raised concern from a range of wildlife advocates, she said.
Mrs Campbell said "safe foraging conditions" were crucial for the birds’ survival.
A report this month from Westpac NZ argued a more profitable fishing industry would focus on more sustainable fishing practices "not ... commodity fish caught through set netting", she said.
The Westpac NZ report said the country’s marine economy, which contributed more than $10billion to the New Zealand economy, or 3.9% of GDP, in 2022, could increase to $14b a year by 2035 if the sector was able to transition to more sustainable practices.
It said there were various opportunities for moving to a blue economy, including "sustainable fishing".
"That includes introducing new fishing gear to minimise bycatch and introducing full supply chain traceability to mitigate against harmful fishing practices," the report said.
Mrs Campbell said it showed "the government should be investing in transitioning the set net industry into sustainable aquaculture".
"It is backwards-thinking to support a sunset industry.
"In doing so, we are both risking the fate of the hoiho and cannibalising New Zealand’s enterprise that centres on sustainability."
Mr Jones’ preamble in the MPI consultation under way said targeted legislative improvements would allow the industry to better respond to changes in abundance.
When conditions allowed, greater harvest and greater revenue would be possible, he said.
"The package of proposals in this document would enable more responsive fisheries management by leveraging increased fisheries data and enhanced verification provided by on-board cameras.
"There are also proposals to reduce costs to fishers, address concerns about private and commercially sensitive footage from cameras on boats, and give them more options about what to do with their catch."
Fisheries New Zealand fisheries management director Emma Taylor said onboard cameras were now operating on 162 commercial fishing vessels and by the end of the year the 70 remaining "in-scope vessels" would have cameras installed.
"There are a range of regulations in place designed to minimise fishing-related deaths of seabirds, including spatial closures and restrictions on fishing gear that can be used.
"Set netting, which is considered the biggest fisheries threat to hoiho, is banned to 4 nautical miles along the Otago coast and out to 10 nautical miles off Te Waewae Bay.
"In addition, industry have also put in place voluntary closures around known breeding sites for the wider Rakiura area."
Working with the Department of Conservation and fishers, Fisheries was trialling new mitigation technology such as green LED lights on set nets in a study being undertaken this year, she said.
"Fisheries New Zealand and Doc carefully investigate any captures of hoiho to assess if the correct measures are being used and whether any additional management measures are required to address fisheries risks to hoiho."
Data she released yesterday showed more than 50 penguins including 26 hoiho had been reported as caught by fishers since 2009-10.
On-board cameras had been operating on vessels in this fleet since October 2023, she said.
