Aquaculture reforms on track to deliver progress and certainty to industry

Reform of the aquaculture industry and better decisions about marine space came a step closer today when the Aquaculture Reform Bill passed it's first reading in Parliament.

Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope told Parliament the Aquaculture Reform Bill is about securing a sustainable future for New Zealand's aquaculture industry.

"The Bill enables councils to better deal with all the effects on the environment and to assist the aquaculture industry to develop in a sustainable way," he said.

The Bill also provides a full and final settlement of Maori interests in commercial marine farming space by providing iwi, where possible, 20 percent of marine farming space allocated since 1992 and 20 percent of any future new space.

"This is an important step," Mr Benson-Pope said. "Settling contemporary commercial claims removes a major impediment to progress and certainty.

"This is in line with the 1992 Fisheries Settlement – aquaculture being the unfinished business of the 1992 Settlement."

© Scoop Media