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Greenpeace calls on MPs to back Greens’ Fisheries Act amendment

Thursday, September 25, 2008
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Uncategorized, NZ Election 2008

Wellington, New Zealand - Greenpeace is calling on all MPs to back a Green Party initiative to amend the Fisheries Act, expected to be debated in Parliament today.

“New Zealand needs to bring its fisheries law into line with international best practice.  The Fisheries Act and the Quota Management System is failing to ensure New Zealand’s fish stocks are sustainable. A factor in this is the lack of a proper precautionary principle,” said Greenpeace Political Advisor Geoff Keey.

“Today’s vote will be a test of political parties’ commitment to sustainable fisheries.  Failure to back this amendment will send a clear signal to voters that MPs are not serious about sustainability.”

“Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton has made an effort in decisions about sustainable fisheries, but has been hampered by a flawed Quota Management System and a litigious industry hell-bent on being able to over-fish declining fisheries,” said Keey.

The Green Party has tabled Supplementary Order Paper to require the Minister to exercise the Precautionary Principle in line with international best practice.  It addresses flaws in the Government’s own amendment to the Fisheries Act.

Anton’s Fisheries sparked the Government’s law change through a successful High Court challenge to the Minister of Fisheries’ ability to limit Orange Roughy takes north of Taranaki and Bay of Plenty.

As a result of the precedent set by the legal challenge, the Government would have been barred from altering allowable catches for a range of fisheries.  However, the Government’s own bill to address the problem enables the Minister of Fisheries to increase catches, even when information about the fisheries is poor.

Greenpeace told the Select Committee examining the Government’s bill that the precautionary approach should only allow catches to be decreased, not increased, since by definition, there is insufficient information about the fishery.

Greenpeace is campaigning for a global network of fully-protected marine reserves covering 40 per cent of our oceans as an essential way to protect our seas from the ravages of climate change, to restore the health of fish stocks, and to protect ocean life from habitat destruction and collapse. We’re also asking for the remaining fishing areas to be managed using the precautionary principle (1) and an eco-system based approach which will ensure a healthy ocean and a healthy fishing industry.