The New Zealand Seafood Industry Council is dismayed that the Minister of Fisheries John Luxton has attacked the Council over its criticism of the effects of Fisheries Amendment Bill No 3.

General Manager Trade and Information Alastair Macfarlane said Mr Luxton has criticised the Seafood Industry Council for asserting that the bill places New Zealand law above that of other nations.

“We stand by our assessment of this ill advised legislation and its effects on the New Zealand Seafood Industry, We believe that we will see some of our companies forced to rethink basing their operations in this country.”

“The Ministry of Fisheries was humbled recently by the acknowledgement by Parliament that the 1996 Fisheries Act was an unworkable piece of legislation. Industry officials worked closely with Ministry officials to help them rectify the problems with that legislation.”

“However, yet again the Minister of Fisheries has chosen to accept the flawed advice of the Ministry on an International Fisheries issue despite the protestations by the industry that it will be detrimental to the New Zealand Seafood Industry and is indeed an overkill with serious economic ramifications.”

“What we will predict is that that once the Ministry sees large established fishing companies relocate overseas they will be forced yet again to back down and rework the legislation. The industry is not crying wolf over this issue. It is genuinely concerned that it will hamper the growth of responsible global fishing effort by New Zealand companies.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>