'We're the bad guys': Conservationists want NZ deep sea trawlers gone from Australia

Wednesday, 30 June 2021

NZ trawlers fishing for orange roughy (pictured) off the Tasmanian coast have sparked ire from Aussies. (File photo)

Conservationists are calling out New Zealand's bottom trawling fleet for operating the “most destructive fishery” in Australia as Kiwi vessels trawl for orange roughy off the Tasmanian coast.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has slammed its government for allowing New Zealand industrial fishing companies like Talley’s to trawl the crests of underwater mountains, which it says causes “disastrous damage” to deep-sea coral reefs.

The trawlers recently crossed the Tasman Sea, and orange roughy season is now in full swing.

AMCS sustainable seafood manager Adrian Meder said deep water trawlers caught orange roughy as they gathered to breed over the crests of underwater mountains, or seamounts.

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The seamounts hosted ancient, extraordinarily vulnerable coral reefs, and footage collected from the Tasman showed corals had been damaged on almost every seamount that was bottom trawled for orange roughy, he said.

“It’s 2021, and our government thinks Australians want to allow a fishery that we know destroys coral reefs to operate in Australia.

“Not only that, we’re going to invite vessels from the scandal-plagued New Zealand deep sea trawler fleet to do it for us, allowing them to do all the damage and take away most of the profits.”

A Nelson deck crew sorts a catch of orange roughy. (File photo)

Meder said some New Zealand deep sea trawling vessels had been seized in recent years for fishing illegally in protected areas, and had breached international regulations by destroying coral reefs on the high seas between New Zealand and Australia.

“We don’t want these habitat-wrecking boats in our waters. They should only ever return once the science is respected and every bit of still-intact coral reef is fully protected from all fishing in marine reserves, and our orange roughy fish stocks are fully recovered from historical overfishing.”

AMCS has reported deep sea trawling was probably the most destructive fishery still allowed to operate in Australia.

Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Jessica Desmond said Australians have every right to be outraged.

“This is not a good look for New Zealand.

“Companies like Talley’s are sending their bottom trawlers across the Tasman, and causing more destruction than any other fishing operation in Australia. It’s shameful.

RNZ's podcast The Detail looks at the state of New Zealand fisheries with Niwa's chief scientist for fisheries, Dr Richard O'Driscoll, and does some fact checking on the Seaspiracy claims. (First published May 2021)

Desmond said while Australians were outraged this was happening off their coasts, many New Zealanders felt the same.

More than 50,000 Kiwis signed a Greenpeace petition last year, calling for the Government to end this form of fishing on seamounts.

“The habitats found on seamounts underpin the health of the ocean, we should be doing everything we can to protect them.

“As New Zealanders we like to think of ourselves as environmentally minded, and I think many of us find it pretty devastating to think that in this case we’re the bad guys.”

Talley’s chief executive Tony Hazlett said the company recognised the importance of a healthy marine environment, and the part it played in conserving it.

“The areas open to commercial fishing are extremely limited, and are areas that have been fished before, many times.

“It is like a corn farmer planting corn this year in the same fertile field it was planted in last year.”

Hazlett said over the last 40 years, the fishing industry had proactively focused on and invested in building up fish stocks.

“Sustainability is at the core of all our operations; we have no interest in putting any fish populations at risk.”

The specific area where Talley’s fished had significantly shrunk as government and industry worked together to ensure fishing could survive alongside sustainability efforts.

“Talley’s is committed to the sustainability of all fish species, including orange roughy. We maintain rigid management measures to ensure the health of fisheries, measures to maintain or rebuild stock sizes.”

Orange roughy management had changed over the years, and practices like closures meant the populations were at healthy levels, he said.

Talley’s accessed data from scientists at Fisheries New Zealand and Niwa, who estimated the size of fish stocks, and compared the results with what they considered ideal sizes.

“We then adjust our fishing accordingly.”