Greenpeace is renewing its call for a ban on bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf following findings released last night in the 2023 State of our Gulf report, saying that the marine park is evidently on the brink of collapse and must be given a chance to recover.

"This damning new report shows that the Hauraki Gulf is on the brink of collapse, under threat from climate change, pollution, overfishing and destructive fishing methods like bottom trawling," says Greenpeace Aotearoa programme director Niamh O’Flynn.

"Bottom trawling is the most harmful and destructive form of fishing used in the Hauraki Gulf and should be outlawed from the entire Marine Park to give its fragile ecosystem a chance to start recovering."

The Hauraki Gulf Alliance including Greenpeace, Forest and Bird, WWF NZ and Legasea have been campaigning to stop trawling in the Hauraki Gulf and slammed the decision to allow bottom trawling to continue when the protection plan was released on Monday.

Greenpeace followed that up by rebranding the Ministry for Primary Industries as the ‘Ministry for Destructive Fishing’, claiming that the ministry had obviously been captured by the industry and failed to listen to the science, and the overwhelming majority of people living around the Gulf who want bottom trawling stopped.

Over 36,000 people have called for a ban on bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf, and in April, hundreds showed up on the water and at Mission Bay Beach to show their support.

"Bottom trawling is the most destructive fishing method there is, bulldozing the seafloor and indiscriminately destroying marine ecosystems. To give the Hauraki Gulf - Tīkapa Moana a chance to recover and thrive, bottom trawling has got to stop. We need bold action from the Government and Minister Rachel Brooking, not more concessions to the fishing industry," says O’Flynn.

Video of the MPI rebranding is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qscC03XQ4RY

© Scoop Media