Seafood Industry Welcomes Draft Industry Transformation Plan

Thursday, 27 April 2023, 10:31 am
Press Release: Seafood New Zealand

Seafood New Zealand Chief Executive Dr Jeremy Helson says the fishing industry shares the Government’s vision of improving the environmental performance of commercial fisheries, increasing the value created from fishing, and providing support for the people doing the mahi.

Dr Helson is commenting on the draft Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan, released today.

“The collaborative approach to developing the plan has resulted in a positive way forward for the commercial fishing industry, building on the work we have already been doing,” Helson said.

“It may be called a ‘transformation’ plan, but the good work done by our fishers and fishing companies means we are not at ground zero. As food producers, our journey of improvement started a long time ago. Changes we have already made to lighten our environmental footprint, be more targeted and purposeful in what we do, innovate and adopt new technology, and improve the work life of fishers have been dramatic. Over the last 30 years in particular, fisheries management and industry’s proactive initiatives have seen fish populations bounce back, massive reductions in accidental seabird and mammal captures, and a low carbon footprint compared to other protein producers, for example.

“The draft plan highlights industry’s commitment to sustainable fishing – the fact that 96 percent of fish from known stocks, caught for consumers in 2022, were from fish stocks with no sustainability concerns. More than that – 70 percent of that catch was of fish stocks that are tracking above their management target.”

Helson said this is a remarkable effort considering the industry provides enough fish to meet consumer need for this healthy protein, from a comparatively small but highly-productive proportion of New Zealand’s waters.

“The plan also acknowledges that New Zealand’s fishing grounds are carefully managed and highly-productive. Around 30 percent of our EEZ and 21 percent of the Territorial Sea is closed to our most common commercial fishing methods, and we contact as little as 2 percent of the seafloor in our EEZ each year.

“We realise there are still changes we need to make, but we won’t resile from change. Broader submissions to the draft plan will likely suggest some amendments, but a shared vision for a better future, and the industry’s willingness to continue to advance how we do things, makes this plan likely to succeed.”

Helson said that the three key areas of the draft plan are the right areas to focus on.

“I support the focus on the areas of strengthening environmental performance, improving profitability and productivity, and supporting our people and communities.

“On the latter, I want to take this opportunity to send a big thank you to the thousands of people who work in the seafood industry, on the boats and on the land. It is hard but rewarding work feeding New Zealand and earning billions of export dollars for the country. I acknowledge your hard work and look forward to working on the initiatives in the final plan to help you succeed. This plan is yours.”

Helson said he will be meeting with fishers over the coming weeks as part of the consultation process and will answer questions and take onboard feedback as part of finalising the plan.

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