Tag Archives: Ministry of Primary Industries
Fishing fraternity lens its weight to camera implementation
The cost of rolling out monitoring cameras on their vessels is worrying Nelson’s smaller fishing operators who say the costs of installing them could push a number of them out of business. Nelson-based inshore fisherman Fin Horder estimated it could cost him $20,000 to install and maintain the equipment.could cost him $20,000 to install and maintain the equipment.,,An MPI regulatory impact statement on the IEMRS suggested the proposal may result in significant rationalisation of the industry. Anecdotal information during the consultation process indicated that the cost of cameras in particular could cause some fishers to exit the industry. click here to read the story 10:56
Greenpeace criticises fishing monitor’s connections with industry
Environmental campaigners Greenpeace will take a complaint to the Auditor General after discovering the company responsible for monitoring large chunks of the fishing industry is wholly owned by the industry’s biggest lobby group. The company, named FishServe, has been contracted by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) for the last 20 years to monitor overfishing, take catch reports, manage quotas and decide on licences. A Greenpeace investigation found the company is not only owned by the industry group Seafood New Zealand, but it operates from the same office and shares staff. The revelations follow a series of controversies last year about fish dumping going unprosecuted, and a contract for camera-monitoring also being given to an industry-owned company. continue reading the story here 09:26
Taranaki fisherman slams government data on Maui’s dolphin
A commercial fisherman in Taranaki has rubbished new government data which shows increased Maui’s dolphin numbers. The research – conducted by the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Primary Industries – found there are approximately 63 adults left in the species whereas there was previously thought to have been only 55. New Plymouth fisherman Rob Ansley said claims by minister Nathan Guy that set net restrictions were having a positive effect on Maui’s numbers was “a load of s**t”. Ansley said government observers aboard fishing boats in Taranaki waters had not seen a single Maui’s dolphin since they started observing in 2012. “How can it be working if no one has ever had a confirmed sighting of these dolphins,” he said. According to the Department of Conservation the last confirmed sighting of a Maui’s dolphin in Taranaki was at Port Taranaki on January 18, 2014 while the last sighting in New Zealand was on March 20, 2016 off Muriwai beach in Auckland. Read the story here 15:28
