New Zealand deep-sea trawling proposal slammed as 'meaningless greenwash'

Friday, 22 January 2021

A catch of orange roughy hauled in by a deep sea trawler in the Tasman Sea (File photo.)

Environmental campaigners have raised concerns that New Zealand appears to be the only country pushing for more of a controversial and destructive fishing practice.

The South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO), made up of 15 governments from China to the European Union, will begin its annual meeting on Monday.

But Greenpeace ocean campaigner Jessica Desmond said, based on pre-meeting submissions, she believes the New Zealand delegation will be arguing for more “destructive” bottom trawling.

“New Zealand will also argue to increase orange roughy catch, a slow-growing fish species caught through bottom trawling.

Representatives from seven environmental groups presented a petition to ban bottom trawling on seamounts – underwater mountains - to the Government in November.

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“[The delegation] will argue that bottom trawl fishing should be allowed to continue as-is, even though it’s known to destroy deep-sea corals and other vulnerable marine life.”

Minister David Parker accepted a Greenpeace petition against bottom trawling outside Parliament last year.

Other nations at the meeting, including Australia, will be pushing for tightened rules to reduce damage from bottom trawling, Desmond said, and are also backing a review of bottom trawling rules in 2022.

“In contrast, New Zealand has made one conservation proposal, to ban bottom trawling in areas deeper than 1400 metres.

“In reality, trawlers do not fish below 1250 metres, so this rule would do nothing to stop bottom trawling damage.”

Desmond said in the last year, New Zealand was the only country to bottom trawl in the South Pacific at all.

“There has been a pattern of New Zealand governments putting industry over ocean protection, both domestically and in these South Pacific meetings.

“New Zealanders are over it … it remains to be seen if the new government and Minister for Oceans and Fisheries will take this in hand, and ensure marine biodiversity is protected.”

Fisheries NZ’s director of fisheries management Emma Taylor said any claim New Zealand was arguing for less protection for underwater mountains is incorrect.

“New Zealand has proposed to close additional areas to bottom trawling which would increase protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems.

“[Our] proposal responds to, and is based on, the most recent and best available science.

She said New Zealand is committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of fisheries resources in the South Pacific, and management is driven by scientific advice and a precautionary approach.

Taylor said New Zealand is not the only country to have bottom trawled in the South Pacific in recent years, although data from 2020 is not yet available.

But she said the amount of bottom trawling in the region has been significantly reduced in the past two years.