Demand cameras and observers on all commercial fishing boats

Demand cameras and observers on all commercial fishing boats

Write an email to the Minister for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Hon David Parker, urging him to install cameras and observers on all commercial fishing boats, without further delay.

Key points you can make:

• I welcome the Government’s announcement to install cameras on 300 inshore fishing boats and to ban the dumping of fishes and other animals overboard.
• These measures are a step in the right direction. But they do not go far enough, soon enough.
• I am concerned that cameras will only be installed on a small proportion of fishing boats.
• 300 boats accounts for about 84 percent of the inshore fleet – this is only a fraction of Aotearoa’s full commercial fishing fleet of around 1500 registered vessels.
• Given the fishing industry’s history of “fish dumping” and not reporting bycatch, there is no reason to think fishers will follow the rules if cameras are not installed on all boats.
• I am also concerned about the ongoing delay in installing cameras – while we wait for cameras to be installed, animals will continue to be killed as bycatch.
• Over the past two years, 2200 protected species were reported to have been killed or injured by the commercial fishing industry. Misreporting is widespread in the fishing industry. Without cameras and observers on boats, there is no way to reliably measure the number of animals being harmed or killed.
• If the Government is truly committed to protecting our precious sea life, cameras and observers must be installed on ALL commercial fishing vessels, without further delay.
• The future of Aotearoa’s protected species and all sea life depends on your actions right now – I urge you to install cameras and observers on ALL commercial fishing boats, without further delay.
• Urgent action is needed before it’s too late – we need immediate action to ensure the survival of our taonga species.

This email will be sent directly to Hon David Parker. Emails are public information. If you would like to withhold any of your information, please specify this in your email.