Rotten to the core – ‘ocean exploitation bill’ must be rejected, says Greenpeace

Greenpeace says the coalition government’s removal of one item in NZ First’s ‘ocean exploitation bill’ is not enough to satisfy public outcry, with the organisation calling for the bill to be rejected in its entirety.

On Wednesday PM Christopher Luxon announced that after listening to concerns about the Fisheries Amendment Bill, sections that scrapped minimum fish size requirements for commercial operators will be removed. Greenpeace says no one is fooled by this small concession.

Oceans lead Ellie Hooper says:  “All the Prime Minister and coalition partners have done is remove one aspect of this bonfire of a bill. But the scales have fallen from everyone’s eyes on this.

“The bill, even with the size requirements removed, remains a hand out to the commercial fishing industry, who Jones advocates for. It incentivises the worst types of fishing – unselective bottom trawling – the impacts of which are being felt increasingly by all.

“It’s clear the ocean is depleted and it’s harder to go out and catch a fish. We’ve got crashed populations, and ocean habitats are struggling. Incentivising trawling, which destroys the ocean and takes too many fish out of the sea, is not going to fly with the New Zealand public.”

The bill contains proposals to limit public consultation on fisheries decisions and blocks public access to the footage from cameras on boats. Anyone who shares or publishes this footage could face a fine of up to $50,000.

Hooper points out that without public access to cameras on boats footage, mistrust in the commercial fishing industry will only continue to grow.

“New Zealanders have a right to know how the fishing industry is impacting ocean health. What should be abundantly clear to the Prime Minister and all the politicians in an election year is that the public cares deeply about what happens out at sea. And there are more of them in the voting population than commercial fishing bosses.

“A transparent industry that boasts their world-leading fisheries management, wouldn’t need these cover ups,” says Hooper. “It just looks like they’re trying to hide the plain facts of their activities, from hauling up coral to killing fur seals and dolphins as bycatch.”

In a statement on social media today, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon wrote he wanted to ensure “our kids and grandkids have abundant fisheries for the decades to come”.

“If the Prime Minister stands by this statement, then the amendment bill has got to go.” says Hooper. “Not to select committee, not for tiny tweaks – but be voted down by politicians with a backbone who want to actually represent the vast numbers of New Zealanders opposing it.

“The coalition government may have collective amnesia on this bill but the ocean community doesn’t. The amendments have been, and continue to be rejected – that includes proposals to lock up cameras on boats, incentivise trawling, and erode the public’s right to have a say. The fish bone they’ve thrown us is nowhere near enough.”