It is well past time corporate fishing companies were reined in says the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations (CORANZ).
CORANZ chairman Andi Cockroft”s comment was in response to recent court cases in which Talley Fisheries were found guilty of fishing in a Kaikoura marine reserve.
“The decision underlines strongly the need for much greater accountability from Fisheries NZ and MPI and corporate companies. Companies have had an extraordinary deep influence on political parties, the ministry and fisheries management,” he said. “For far too long corporate fishing companies have been allowed to plunder fisheries virtually unhindered”.
Andi Cockroft said matters like company political donations to political parties, the hindering of getting cameras on boats resisted by the companies and former Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash’s failure to honour a Labour Party 2017 election promise to conduct an independent credible review of the Quota Management System (QMS) all added up to failure to efficiently manage the public’s fisheries.
“The QMS results in corporate companies monopolising fisheries quota and the industry itself and that’s what’s increasingly happening.”
It is estimated corporate companies now own more than 75 percent of fish stocks quota.
He said the public’s recreational fishery consequently suffered with stocks depleted and traditional recreational access decreased.
Contact: Andi Cockroft 027 204 1878
Big ‘fat cat’ companies have been allowed to dominate the resource. Talleys, Sandfords, Sealords etc., seem to arrogantly regard their quotas as a property right of fish. It is not. Fish are public, the sea bed is public. They are enters, not owners. Blame the no-liberal zealots and their free market experiment for the very faulty Tradable Quota Management System. The big companies have hoovered up true NZ small commercial fishermen to dominate fisheries. Politicians are at fault with Ministers and ministry compliant to fat cats. Past Fish Head ministers like John Luxton, David Carter, Nathan Guy should feel guilty.
I was present at meeting of commercial, iwi, and Ministry of Fisheries as president NZ Recreational Fishing Council, along with John B Henderson chairman NZ Federation of Rifle Rod and Gun Sportsmen, both f us representing recreational sector. John and I warned them the QMS would lead to domination by corporate companies. Sadly we were correct. The ministry completely ignored our warning, probably because they are already in bed then with the corporates. The QMS needs sharp scrutiny just as Labour promised at 2017 election to conduct an independent review. But Fisheries Minister Nash renegade on that in February q2019 when he announced there should be no review.