Sustainable Fishing a Shared Responsibility

23 March 2005

Sustainable Fishing a Shared Responsibility

Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the New Zealand fishery should be the key issue for United Future to concentrate on as it develops its fisheries policies.

Owen Symmans, Chief Executive, New Zealand Seafood Industry Council was commenting on United Future’s policy on recreational fishing.

Under current arrangements, the commercial sector contributes approximately $35 million per year to ensure the fishery is sustainably utilised. In contrast the recreational sector contributes nothing and seems to expect to harvest as much fish as it wants.

The commercial sector alone can not ensure sustainability; this is a responsibility which must be shared by all participants.

It is important that the recreational sector assumes greater responsibility for its activities to ensure we can all maximize the opportunity from the fishery and United Future’s policies should be directed to achieve this objective.

The policy of giving priority to recreational fishers over the commercial certainty will not ensure long-term sustainability.

ENDS

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