Greenpeace Should Be Supporting Tech To Protect Fish Stocks

29 May 2016

News Release - Sanford Limited

Sanford: Greenpeace Should Be Supporting NZ’s Investment In Tech To Protect Fish Stocks

The head of fishing company, Sanford says Greenpeace should be supporting, not attacking an industry that is investing to ensure we have the best technology, monitoring and research available on our fisheries.

Sanford CEO, Volker Kuntzsch who joined the company in 2013 after an international career in the Seafood industry, says that in the same way the international industry invested with WWF to build the Marine Stewardship Council into the global standard for sustainable certification, the industry here in New Zealand is investing and working together to get full transparency across its fleet with electronic monitoring.

“The industry partnerships with Trident are no secret, they are on the Trident website. We are proud of that work, this technology on our boats and the investment we are making, which we have been talking about for the past year:

http://www.sanford.co.nz/assets/MediaReleaseVMS14August2015.pdf

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/nz-trawlers-fitted-with-monitoring-cameras-2016032211#axzz4A00TnCbt

“We have been pushing to have electronic monitoring fast tracked so that in real time all vessel owners, MPI and fishing companies can track, monitor and report what's happening on the water.

Volker Kuntzsch says it would be interesting to understand why Greenpeace is not engaged in trying to identify ways to encourage fisheries in countries that urgently need to improve their behavior, instead of undermining the efforts in a fishery that is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in terms of sustainable management in the world.

Three recent, independent and internationally peer-reviewed studies, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, have ranked New Zealand's fisheries management as the best in the world.

“I also note Russell Norman’s rather underhanded comments regarding historic leaked reports being referred to dating back to 2006 to 2012. In relation to the 2006 report, I understand that matter was dealt with and concluded through the appropriate MPI investigation process. In regard to the latter leaked preliminary investigation reports, which MPI have never provided to Sanford, we welcome MPI’s appointment of a QC to review MPI’s processes in regard to these matters.”

“I’m sure I speak for everyone involved in investing in the Trident electronic monitoring technology and research, when I say that we would be very pleased to host Mr Norman to get him fully briefed on this technology, what it does, and why we’re backing it,” says Volker Kuntzsch.

ENDS

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