New Fisheries Bill Removes Public’s Voice

Press release from Legasea

At the moment there is a Fisheries Amendment Bill before Parliament that will severely reduce public participation in the way fisheries are managed in New Zealand. This means that when commercial and recreational catch limits are reviewed and set, submissions from the public and interest groups may no longer ne sought or considered.
This is a huge step back in fisheries management and will allow an already industry sympathetic ministry to review fisheries internally with its decisions most likely going in the commercial industry’s favour.
It is no accident that major changes for recreational fishing are hidden beneath the good news that they’re finally legalising cameras aboard commercial fishing boats at at first glance the bills seems fairly positive. 
However this bill is a Trojan Horse.
It seems to take away the public’s to have a meaningful say in how our fish are managed.
It will elevate commercial interests while gutting sustainability measures. If this Amendment Bill goes through, your say on fisheries decisions will no longer be listened to. In fact you won’t even know they were going to change your daily bag limit.
You would just be told.
No warning, no discussion, no consultation, no input.
We need to show our MPs that the public will not accept this. We need you and many others to make a submission now! Public submissions close at 11.59 pm, Friday 17 June.
Fisheries New Zealand has been trying to introduce similar legislation since 2000 but each time the public opposition has been crucial to resisting these changes.

This time proportional allocation via pre-set rules are being introduced by stealth; hidden under legislation to put cameras on boats. Ironically, the commercial fishing industry has resisted cameras on boats for a decade and it’s only occurring now because of public pressure. 
Now they are trying again! Let’s make it clear – we want cameras on boats, but we don’t want pre-set decisions, proportional allocation or to have our voice silenced.

We will not let the public become a minor shareholder in a commercially-dominated industry!


Footnote: Submissions can be made to <fmsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz>
Even just a sentence or two or three is invaluable.

 


No voice for today’s anglers and future generations, if Bill is passed into law

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7 Responses to New Fisheries Bill Removes Public’s Voice

  1. Iconoclast says:

    Join Legasea now. They are the voice for NZ rec fishers.

  2. Justice Will B. Dunn. says:

    The sneaky bastards! Some sort of back room deal has been done so that in return for “allowing” cameras on board commercial boats they got to suck rec fishos into the failing QMS! The way it got tucked away in a Bill pertaining to “sustainability” is so sneaky you could put a tail on it and call it a big fat lying weasel. Rise up NZ fishers or be relegated to last in the queue from here on on out.

  3. Jack Tuhawaiki says:

    Thank God for Legasea.
    But we will not thank God for the Ministry of Fisheries who have chosen to ignore the Fisheries law which says the government must in management have equal regard for social (recreational) economic (commercial) and cultural (customary).
    By some sleight of hand and past deception in pushing law through, customary have no regulations. The Ministry favours with poor disguise, commercial leaving the recreational public a poor, mistreated third.
    Well fisheries minister Parker are you going to shake the Ministry so it obeys its governing Fisheries Act or just be yet another weak, lame minister?
    This Amendment Bill is an insult to democracy.

  4. Ben Hope says:

    It is unbelievable the ministry and the Minister of Fisheries Parker have the gall to try this Fisheries Amendment Bill.
    Please note, Public submissions close at 11.59 pm, Friday 17 June.

  5. Bud jones JonesQSM says:

    As in Macbeth, we can make all the “sound &fury” we like , it will signify nothing.”
    Shortly the fore shore & sea bed, out to 12 n. miles will be under tribal & iwi/hapu/fanhow control/ownership, thanks to the racist Jacinderella & her moedi cabal handing it over. Most of the fishing industry is already tribally owed by way of taxpayer gifting for dodgy “settlements”.is there a commercial fishing venture not affiliated with tribal control? I can’t think of one? In thend the public will pay in perpetuity

  6. Neil Wilson says:

    if they want to reduce public input does that mean that they have no issues with the way the public fishos are going about there rights to catch a feed for there family, sweet, in that case stop changing the rules that bugger up our fishing rights simple cheers from blenheim

  7. Lew says:

    Bud got it right.

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