Blaming recreational fishing while Industry pillages
I can’t understand how the Government has managed to blame recreational fishers for depleted fishing stock while the Ministry for Primary Industry turns a blind eye to the Industry illegal dumping.
Newshub journalist Michael Morrah has been tireless in exposing the manner in which MPI have deceived and lied to the public…
It all started with a 23-page report.
Titled Operation Achilles, the details within it were nothing short of scandalous. MPI’s compliance investigators had cracking evidence of illegal behaviour and wanted to swoop. But senior management stopped that from happening.
It appears that some within MPI hoped the 2013 report would never see the light of day – officials knew Kiwis hated hearing about precious resources being wasted. Even more damaging was that fact that they’d already made a decision to let the offending skippers off the hook.
But the details did of course go public. Cue the attempts to downplay the report’s significance, and the monotonous reassurances from top officials who insisted that MPI takes illegal activity seriously.
Even after it was established by a leading QC that MPI had for years failed to enforce the law, the response from leading politicians was lacklustre and pathetic.
What’s really worrying is that the denials of a serious problem have only continued. Prime Minister John Key thinks Minister Nathan Guy has done a “good job”, and Nathan Guy, while “disappointed” with MPI’s failure to prosecute, thinks it’ll all be okay because we’re putting industry-owned cameras on boats.
Let’s be clear about what’s happened here – MPI has been busted misleading the public for years about illegal fishing practices in the commercial sector.
…the problem with our depleted fishing stock has nothing to do with recreational fishing and it has everything to do with the fishing industry and a Ministry that is far more interested in hiding the level of illegal fishing and protecting those industry interests rather than hold them to account.
It staggers me that as a nation we have spent more media time crucifying the Rugby Union for not publicly whipping Losi Filipo than we have demanding every MPI employee be arrested for allowing the fishing Industry to burn and pillage our fishing stock.
There is a word for this, and it is corruption. The fishing industry is well known for its corruption, and that has extended into the Ministry responsible for policing them.
The National Party with its deep links to the Fishing Industry will never ever allow their mates to be scrutinised.
Fishing industry,
horticulture industry,
forest industry,
dairy industry,
remaining farming industry;
tourism industry,
construction industry,
film industry,
and the list can go on …
National, same as ACT, they are the vested business interest promoters and defenders, all else is BS dancing with the fairies, some would say.
While business and the various industries have their interests and rights, workers rights, the rights of ordinary New Zealand citizens and often even consumer rights, are trampled on.
We have virtual cartels, in building materials and supermarket retail, we may say, we have certainly endless oligopolies (business sectors or markets dominated by only a few players), we have a two faced policy approach by this government, covering much up, pretending there are on real issues, and often blaming others, so they can deflect from the real problems that need to be discussed and adressed.
This is just one area, the fishing industry, and we learn enough about how they operate.
Stuff gets swept under the carpet all the time, but as most out there are not taking much interest, and rather rush in their thousands to a newly opened fashion clothing retailer at a large mall, never mind slave labour producing supposedly “cheap” gowns, it does not matter, too few learn the truth and too few bother taking a stand.
Hence they get away with all this, it is beyond belief.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/fashion/84861429/hm-opens-first-store-in-new-zealand-to-more-than-1000-fashion-fans
And what’s the bet on whether the dodgy palm kernel rubbish will be let in so we don’t offend the nice Malaysian PM.
At least RNZ also reported on this:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/311844/mpi-'misled-the-public'-on-fish-dumping-prosecutions
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/313631/mpi-official-admits-fish-dumping-widespread
And even years ago I thought that they had found a SUSTAINABLE way to fish:
http://www.plantandfood.co.nz/page/news/media-release/story/revolutionary-new-sustainable-fishing-technology-unveiled/
Or was that “too expensive” to introduce?
truth written large.
too many fingers in the pie as you say paying back handers to national party coffers.
Has anyone noticed that the modus operandi of this National government is to blame everyone else but themselves for events eg the housing crisis, homelessness, fish dumping, multi-corporates who are not paying taxes etc,etc,etc?
I get the impression this government depends upon keeping NZers in the dark. Because whenever things turn to custard they resort to blaming others.
Sorry Key & co the ‘blame everyone else but yourselves’ time has gone way past it’s USED BY DATE.
I am sure not many NZers trust this government but as now we have a new GG it is unlikely even she(the new GG)would listen to NZers and dismiss the Key government.
The Key government operates under denial, blame games and secrecy. Their attitude is “Nothing to see here(there or anywhere). Move along please.” It’s like if they can ignore something long enough it, the problem, will disappear over a period of time and besides NZers are a dimwitted lot(according to Key & Co)and Key & co don’t mind telling porkies as NZers forget about things so quickly.
In my view the rather dumb face of the man above, the Minister, as I am told, that alone disqualifies him from being in his job. He is nothing but a facilitator for business interests in agriculture, fisheries and so forth, and does little to protect our environment from threats (unsustainable management, invasive species, and so forth).
Nathan Guy is a braying, uni-browed mongoloid who couldn’t manage his way out of a wet paper bag, let alone manage the country’s increasingly depleted fish stocks. He’s up there with Nick Smith and Craig Foss in the “utterly useless” Hall Of Shame. You could replace the man with a fucking gumboot, and nobody would notice.
A gumboot would have a use, at least.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tAWwqKNI7g
And if I take one extra fish more than my limit of 7, they will fine me or take the boat.
The corporate lackeys allow the plunder of our resources, why though? Do they have orders to do nothing from above from our allies, who say, do as we say, or else? The fishing enslavement of workers is a nitemare on our waters also. Mike In Auckland seems to have an understanding of the fisheries refusal to develop aquaculture and I know how lacklustre local govt is about wot goes into the sea via the rivers, so guess we r screwed until we can get rid of this type of secret money grabbing idiots in govt and the bureaucracy, plus thugs!