http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11609797

Going to take a lot of staff and time  to do this properly. How will they tell the difference between just oversize and just undersize.?

Law states that all undersize must be returned (dumped ) to the water dead or alive.
Most pics i have seen have been of legally dumped undersize.

Seems like a joke,designed as some ineffective sweetheart deal to appease the critics of fish dumping.
If MPI were serious they would instigate land all catch-&  mesh sizes to match size limit.
-problem solved. That way they would know that any dumped fish were actually illegal when detected by camera.
Will MPI do this. You bet they wont. Yet reason dictates that dumping fish of any kind does not improve or enhance a fishery. Pity MPI does not know that.

Not exactly saying it is a bad idea.But could be refined to make the cameras more effective. Has taken them a couple of years to get to this point,and it will take staff to check them.Lots of staff
Meanwhile there will be still dumped fish floating out there ,camera or not. A camera will not change that. A law change will.
And that is the point . Fish should not be dumped. Land them all -problem solved. So can you please explain how dumping fish enhances a fishery.  I may have missed something.

The E.U had a similar issue. Dumping of out of Quota and undersize fish.
Thats why they saw the light and introduced Land all catch. Nothing else worked.They had to to save what was left of the fishery.
Now things are slowly turning around
This is not about recs or comms as you state.It is about a fishery that serves over 4 million people.

EDIT-- Capt A. You say that in BOP alot of snapper have been dumped by boats targeting other species. Herald didnt mention that--only that cameras are to detect undersize snapper being dumped.
So in the situation you outlined then cameras would be a good idea. Also appears that GPS tracking will also be used. Also good. Hope this extends to other fisheries like West Coast.
Was not aware of the extent of problem you outlined in the BOP. So would appear the complex deemed value laws do not work very well.
Seems that currently some boats have observers. Assume MPI believes cameras better than observers.
Yet because the herald said the cameras were to detect dumping of undersize & not other species they have not covered the whole story.
Yet will a camera be able to detect in the case of snapper what fish are undersize or just oversize
when Undersize must be returned, & just over size must be kept.?
An observer could,but will the tech in the cameras be able to measure fish and decide if law is or is not being broken.
Reading between the lines this move looks like an admission by MPI that fish dumping is a serious problem , there is a general lack of trust ,and the system is not working as it should.

Still dont believe the comms are totally at fault,but moreover the system . Have heard that in many cases if out of quota fish were landed the financial cost imposed on the comm for landing these fish would be very severe. Is there any truth in this.?