Media Statement For immediate release Friday, 24 June 2005

UF fisheries policy about 'New Zealandisation'

All fish caught in New Zealanders waters should be either processed on board the vessel or on New Zealand soil, but regardless, all catches should be landed here and marked as product of New Zealand, United Future fisheries spokesman Larry Baldock said in launching the party's commercial fishing policy today.

"United Future's policy is unashamedly about the 'New Zealandisation' of our fisheries.

"We need to fully lay claim to the quality of the seafood that we produce in our waters and that means that it should be marked as 'Product of New Zealand' and process here," Mr Baldock said.

United Future would all require two fisheries inspectors on all foreign charter vessel to ensure compliance with the quota management system. This would be at the expense of the New Zealand company chartering the vessel.

A labour inspector would also be required on foreign charter vessels, again paid for by the chartering company, to ensure that New Zealand work and wage conditions are adhered to.

"We've seen too many instances recently of disgraceful happenings on chartered commercial fishing vessels. This policy will put an end to that."

Ends.

United Future Commercial Fishing Policy

The focus of United Future’s commercial fishing policy is the “New Zealandisation” of our fisheries. We want to level the playing field so that New Zealand vessels with New Zealand crew are competitive when it comes to harvesting this resource. One or several of the following measures will help to achieve that goal.

United Future will:

- Require two compulsory fisheries inspectors to be present on foreign charter vessels at the expense of the New Zealand company contracting the charter to ensure QMS compliance;

- Require at least one compulsory labour inspector to be present on foreign charter vessels at the expense of the New Zealand company contracting the charter to ensure compliance with New Zealand minimum wage laws and labour conditions;

- Require that all foreign charter vessels are to remain outside a 25-mile limit;

- Require that all fish caught in New Zealand waters must be processed either on board the vessel within New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on land, and that regardless of where it is processed all fish caught in New Zealand waters must be landed before export to ensure it is correctly branded as Product of New Zealand;

- Require that a certain percentage of all fishing quota that is leased out by “paper” fishermen must go to New Zealanders;

- Require that a certain proportion of the crew on board all foreign fishing vessels are New Zealanders;

- Ensure that New Zealand fishing operators can purchase fuel at the same price that international vessels can;

- Modify the quota management system (QMS) so that more weight is given to “anecdotal” evidence or experiences of local fishermen when setting the Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC);

- Fund a comprehensive scientific study to ascertain how much damage is being caused by bottom trawling in New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and what are the best ways to mitigate or prevent future damage;

- Ensure that New Zealand fishing companies advertising for New Zealand crew must offer ‘market’ wage rates rather than ‘minimum’ wage;

- Review procedures for charging “deemed values” on fish caught without a corresponding allocation of “by catch” quota to ensure that charges are set at levels that achieve a balance between discouraging illegal fishing without being overly burdensome on legitimate fishing operation.

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