Nathan Guy
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: Fisheries Management
Forum Description: Anything to do with fisheries management here please
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=121236
Printed Date: 16 Mar 2025 at 3:25am
Topic: Nathan Guy
Posted By: Lethal
Subject: Nathan Guy
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 2:31pm
Kiwis can have confidence that commercial fishing is being properly policed despite the "disappointing" decision not to prosecute those caught on camera dumping tonnes of healthy fish, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says.
The assurance come as Labour leader Andrew Little attacks Guy's handling of the Ministry of Primary Industries as dismal.
"The fisheries division in MPI just seems to have given up on [enforcing the law]," Little told media this morning.
"I was stunned that [Guy] was making every effort to defend the ministry's failure to launch even a single prosecution after Operation Achilles."
On Friday the findings of a high-level inquiry into the decision not to prosecute commercial fishing boats which were caught on camera dumping tonnes of healthy fish in New Zealand waters were released.
Events leading up to the inquiry
The inquiry, led by QC Michael Heron, said the MPI obstructed the prosecution process, that its decision process was "confused", and that it failed to follow up and "draw a clear line in the sand" with regard to fish dumping.
Today, Guy said he agreed with the findings.
"It was a flawed process, very poor communication back to the fishers as to why the cameras were on there. So I'm very disappointed that they decided not to go for a prosecution."In this one particular case I am disappointed. The director general is now making a raft of changes within MPI in terms of different processes and procedures to ensure this doesn't happen again."
Despite the changes - including fast-tracking more electronic monitoring equipment on boats - Guy said MPI did a very good job and the public could have full confidence in their fisheries enforcement.
"I have trust in MPI because, by and large, they do a good job as the regulator. But you need to understand...dumping and discards has been an issue [they] have been grappling with for a long period of time."
The ministry-commissioned inquiry was launched in May following reports that MPI had chosen not to prosecute local fishing captains who were caught on CCTV cameras dumping healthy-sized fish.
Heron looked at three separate investigations into dumping in 2003, 2012 and 2013, known as Operation Overdue, Operation Achilles and Operation Hippocamp.
Operation Achilles, in November 2012, discovered that five out of six vessels operating off the eastern coast of the South Island had discarded quota fish - mostly gurnard and elephant fish. Between 20 per cent and 100 per cent of quota fish were being thrown out with every haul.
However, despite a recommendation by the investigator, MPI did not proceed with a prosecution and instead issued a warning to the boats' skippers.
This decision, and the process leading up to it, was flawed, Heron's report said.
An internal email written by MPI's director of fisheries management, and released as part of the report, stated, "fish dumping is so widespread that the current system is failing and officials have not been able to get on top of it from day one of the quota management system.
"We estimate that if we found the golden bullet to stop discarding, we would probably put over half of the inshore fleet out of business overnight."
Guy has said that view was a personal one and was not backed up by evidence.
- NZ Herald
how stupid do they think NZers are?
Guy said MPI did a very good job and the public could have full confidence in their fisheries enforcement.
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Replies:
Posted By: cirrus
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 3:00pm
How can anyone have confidence in such a long string of excuses .
Confidence is not just a word. Confidence has to be earned,in the same way that respect does.
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Posted By: Kevin.S
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 3:08pm
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There was a time when a politician caught telling the public blatant lies would be expected to resign and that would be the end of their career. A public servant found deliberately obstructing justice and shielding people breaking the law from prosecution would be sacked, and possibly prosecuted.
Sadly standards in NZ have dropped so far that no one cares about the lies politicians tell and corruption seems endemic. In most countries in the world if a wanted criminal from another country paid the police to give him immunity from prosecution it would be called bribery and corruption, but our prime minister calls it "doing a deal" and thinks it's fine.
Personally I have no faith in MPI, I think it is broken beyond repair. I also have no faith in Nathan Guy, or most of our other politicians for that matter.
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Posted By: pjc
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 4:52pm
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Pm key tells lies.so I guess the minister can too
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Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 5:38pm
newshub
"Mfish and MPI, in my view, have not grappled effectively with aspects of the problem, and neither enforced the law or acted to change it," says Michael Heron QC.
The QC's inquiry was initiated after a Newshub investigation, which involved the public release of Operation Achilles.
MPI's own investigator stated in that report that five of six vessels monitored openly dumped fish - between "20 to 100 percent of some quota species were discarded during every haul".
Two months after that was revealed, out came two emails from MPI sent to all staff, and Scott Gallacher and Andrew Coleman had both resigned - although the boss claims that's got nothing to do with the failure to prosecute.
"It is a coincidence," says Mr Dunne.
The recreational sector says an overhaul of MPI is necessary to restore public confidence.
This review was undertaken because MPI's credibility was under attack, but the findings have done little to restore that.
Newshub
.]five of six vessels monitored openly dumped fish - between "20 to 100 percent of some quota species were discarded during every haul".
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Posted By: mowerman
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 6:19pm
Good grief...this has been going on since time began with the Mpi..
One would think that they would come clean and do things in accordance with the law
Obviously not enough pressure is being brought on them as the are just shrugging this all off in a days work.
We the public are not making enough noise..fact
They are just laughing at a bunch of pathetic peasants...as that what we are in official eyes..
Drinking cups of teas with them even ..so not to upset the boat..
Who's really got some bal s to do anything ...
They know if all puffs out in a week and will continue as nothing ever happened
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The People Protest
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
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Posted By: Tagit
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 8:35pm
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I love Guys comment - " But you need to understand...dumping and discards has been an issue [they] have been grappling with for a long period of time."
So what have they done about it over the is "long period of time"? Nothing until the University of Auckland report and public awareness embarrassed the government enough to make them quickly set up the camera monitoring project as an emergency bandaid to try and convince the public that they were taking it seriously. If that is doing a "very good job" then Nathan Guy obviously has very low standards for his ministry (which is what appears to be the case based on the evidence available).
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Posted By: shaneg
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 8:52pm
Vote national from time to time but not last time. Their performance on fisheries is a disgrace. And nathan guy as mnister is responsible ...or not as case maybe.
Problem with ITQ system is like any other system poor implementation and enforcement makes it completely ineffective. Dumping is inexcusable and should be prosecuted just like other serious crimes of serious moral and economic nature. Pathetic really, and major reason to not vote for them again when I otherwise would. What a drop kick that minister is!
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Posted By: Muppet
Date Posted: 20 Sep 2016 at 9:06pm
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They won't worry about losing your vote shane they have imported in about 150,000 National voters the past few years. As for public awareness not many give two hoots, all the youngsters well they are hunting down Pokemons as we speak.
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Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2016 at 10:37pm
want to make a difference,
https://www.legasea.co.nz/polls/commission-of-inquiry/" rel="nofollow - https://www.legasea.co.nz/polls/commission-of-inquiry/
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