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A strong foot forward

Working together for inshore fishing interests

Inshore fishing interests have tabled evidence before the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) calling for more investigation in the potential effects of the iron sand mining project in South Taranaki.

The company wants to mine 50 million tonnes of seabed annually for 20 years, remove five tonnes of iron sand for export and return 45 million tonnes back to the sea.  FINZ has been working with Southern Inshore, the Federation of Commercial Fishermen and several seafood companies to put a strong and collective view to the EPA. We consider that the effects of the project are highly uncertain and are likely to adversely affect our commercial businesses and economic wellbeing. We are calling for EPA to decline the application or at the very least impose strict conditions to monitor effects.
 
The following evidence can be found at the FINZ website: www.inshore.co.nz

  • Jeremy Helson, Fisheries Inshore CEO, sets the scene. Who and what is the seafood industry, Fisheries Act, QMS, Treaty implications, uncertainty and what’s at risk
  • Andy Smith, Talley’s Operational Manager, puts the proposed mining project into perspective – and says just how close it is to our fishing grounds
  • Ed Culley, Sanford Aquaculture Manager, covers Top of the South’ Greenshell mussel business and questions, ‘can we really afford to put this at risk?’
  • Colin Johnson, Aquaculture New Zealand, covers biofouling and sediment issues in Admiralty Bay
  • Ant Piper, Cloudy Bay Clams, speaks about his concerns in the shallow waters around Foxton and what’s at risk in his emerging fishery
  • Doug Saunders –Loader, Talleys and the Federation puts his focus on the fin fish issues and the cost of a changing catch pattern
  • Keith Mawson, Egmont Seafoods addresses spatial closures reaching tipping point for set net fishers.
  • Ali Undorf-Lay, Sanford Liaison Manager introduces the consent conditions that the Seafood Industry is seeking

To learn more about this, or to support Fisheries Inshore at the hearing please contact Jeremy Helson

Awkward position for fishers over shark fins.

Due to increasing pressure from environmental NGOs regarding shark finning, most LFRs have stopped receiving shark fins in ‘fin-only’ state. With reduced demand for fins in Asia, wharf fin buyers are choosing to not take on new suppliers and some are even going out of business; for some fishers this removes the option to land fins to a Licensed Fish Receiver (LFR).
 
This puts surface-longline/ HMS fishers in a predicament as under Schedule 6 of the Fisheries Act, blue sharks can be returned to the sea alive, but for the estimated 10% that are landed dead, some part of the fish must be retained to be worked back to greenweight (being a QMS species). Fins have been the obvious candidate in these circumstances but now some fishers are struggling to have their fins landed.

Some fishers are calling for the 2016 date for the cessation of finning blue sharks to be brought forward as the current situation is no different to the situation that will be imposed by law in 2016. Suggestions are that blue sharks need to be added to Schedule 6 as ‘dead or alive’ to allow fishers to dispose of any sharks which are dead at capture, estimate their weights and cover with ACE.
 
Industry has met with MPI several times to discuss the best way of managing these intricacies particularly in the surface-longline fishery.

FINZ seeks your input

 At a workshop held in May 2013, quota owners and fishers gathered to discuss a number of issues facing the inshore sector. These discussions were documented in nine brief summaries. These included: protected species, setting TACCs, returning fish to the sea, electronic monitoring, access to fishing grounds, sustainability, regulation and compliance, and National Plans of Action for Seabirds and Sharks.
 
Given the value in establishing a clear and strong voice for the sector, it would be desirable to finalise these positions and make them publicly available. FINZ is seeking your input before doing so.
 
If you would like to comment on these draft position statements, they can be found here.
 
Please send all comments to Jeremy@inshore.co.nz before Monday 5 May.

Southern Inshore Fisheries Research

Southern Inshore Fisheries Management Company review their priorities for research planning and management needs on an annual basis and discuss those with the management staff within the Ministry for Primary Industries. Those stocks identified for review, whether for monitoring against recent TACC or overall as part of the 5 year management plan, are undertaken by approved service providers contracted by the Company. This means more cost-effective research.

Recently, Southern Inshore reviewed 8 fishstocks (GUR3,7, ELE 3,5,7, JDO7, SNA7 and STA5). A number of stocks received TACC increases in the last couple of years and others are simply on a rotational basis where analyses could show a utilisation opportunity. Such opportunities are identified to the MPI for inclusion under their annual sustainability rounds for TACC reviews as of 1 October each year.
Southern Inshore currently represent 104 fishstocks and is now looking at what stocks are to be reviewed next year and those where opportunities lie for further development and utilisation.

Contact Carol Scott for more information on the latest analyses, if you would like to identify stocks needing review and if you would like any further information on how to become a shareholder of the Company.  Email: cscott@southerninshore.co.nz, Ph: 03 5480711 or www.southerninshore.co.nz
Have a happy and safe Easter. 
From your Inshore Fisheries New Zealand team.
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