New Zealand soft touch on fishing

Reports that Sanford is considering abandoning American operations following its conviction for shoddy practice confirms that we need better protection, the Green Party said today.

“We need to increase penalties for substandard practice and increase the number of observers on our fishing fleet,” said Steffan Browning Green Party fisheries spokesperson.

“New Zealand fines are typically ten times less than what Sanford could receive from the USA.

“If we are serious about protecting our clean green brand and our treasured environment we need to toughen up.

“Our clean green brand is essential to primary producers. We can’t risk not having observers on all New Zealand fishing vessels, especially given the offences in this case included falsifying log books – what else are they lying about?

“The Government has committed to 100% observers on Foreign Charter Vessels while they are phased out. This highlights the need for comprehensive observer coverage on New Zealand flagged vessels.

“An effective 24-7 observer system can help ensure Brand NZ is not sullied.

“Quota management misreporting, by-catch wastage, conservation, labour, and pollution, have all been recent issues that full coverage observers can monitor, encouraging improved compliance.”