2,000,000 more snapper than permitted

Option4 are appalled that over 2,000,000 snapper have been taken in excess of sustainable limits over the past twelve years. Overfishing is legal in New Zealand, provided you are a commercial fisherman; you land any fish taken in excess of your quota and pay a penalty fee called ‘deemed value’

Option 4 says "It’s an injustice that some commercial fishermen are reaping handsome rewards from selling those extra fish while non-commercial fishers are struggling to ‘catch a feed’.

Recently the Ministry of Fisheries issued new proposals to increase the deemed values for many species. While ramping up the penalties may help reduce the profit motive for overfishing the plan fails to address the fundamental issue of replacing the fish that were taken in excess of quota limits, according to Trish Rea from Option4.

"Excess commercial catch should be taken off the following year’s quota. This would make up for the loss of fish and their subsequent productivity, from the overall fish population. It would also keep catches to sustainable limits over the long-term" she says.

Option4 point out that etting high deemed values creates a disincentive (rather than an incentive) to improve the sustainability of fisheries. Fish caught in excess of quota is either landed or slipped over the side and that decision is based on economic return. It is not possible to have a single dollar value that serves as both as an incentive to land and a disincentive to catch excess fish.

Commercial fishers have been given a property right to extract an explicit amount of fish from a resource that belongs to all New Zealanders. With rights comes responsibilities. Option4 believe the fishing industry should respect that limit and MFish should hold them to it.