Hon Phil Heatley
Minister of Fisheries

18 March 2009 Media Statement

Fisheries 2030 project takes next step

The Minister of Fisheries, Phil Heatley, has announced the next stage of Fisheries 2030, a review to establish clear direction and actions necessary to unlock the future economic potential of New Zealand’s fishing sector.

Fisheries 2030 was initiated by the Ministry of Fisheries in August 2008 as an independent review of the fishing sector. The review, carried out by PriceWaterhousecoopers, incorporates input from key leaders from across the fisheries sector including aquaculture, commercial, amateur and customary fishers, as well as environmental and other NGOs.

Mr Heatley said the report contained a useful package of measures to move the debate forward.

“The fundamentals of our fisheries are sound, now is the time to build on them for the future.

“We support sustainable fisheries practices, an internationally competitive commercial fishing sector, high quality recreationally fishing, and we are working with Maori on treaty settlements,” Mr Heatley said.

The review listed a large number of measures that could enable better value to be gained from fisheries and could contribute to a strengthening of the economy and New Zealanders’ experiences of fishing.

The next stage in Fisheries 2030 will involve the Ministry of Fisheries working with fisheries stakeholders to pick the best suggestions from the PriceWaterhousecoopers report. From this work a direction will be confirmed and a plan of action put in place.

ENDS

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