First conservation/fishing partnership celebrates success

Media Release

Tuesday 2 May 2017

NZ’s first conservation/fishing partnership celebrates successes

Today, Moana New Zealand and WWF-New Zealand announced the first set of achievements resulting from a long-term collaboration between them.

In the first partnership of its kind, environmental organisation WWF-New Zealand is working with the country’s largest Iwi-owned fishing company, Moana New Zealand, to achieve best practice environmentally responsible seafood and advocate for greater sustainability in the wider fishing industry.

Both parties share the same core values and ultimately want the same thing – a future where people live in harmony with nature and healthy ecosystems that benefit all.

Moana and WWF-New Zealand are pleased to be celebrating some of the successes and tangible results achieved since the partnership began in 2014, including action on eliminating the threat to Māui dolphins with Sanford; reducing seabird bycatch; Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification for Moana’s pāua farm; reducing resource use, and waste.

By working together, the seemingly dissimilar organisations on the surface can demonstrate how business can be a force for good by committing to doing something different to achieve something great. In this case, safeguarding New Zealand’s valuable marine environment, ecosystems and seafood supply for future generations.

“It’s great that a business such as ours can work in partnership with an organisation like WWF towards common goals and to jointly advocate for greater sustainability in the wider fishing industry,” says Moana New Zealand Chief Executive Carl Carrington.

“We’re a progressive company with strong values and working with WWF helps us identify the changes we need to make and challenges us to keep improving. We’re taking positive action because it’s the right thing to do, and because we want to ensure sustainable inshore fishing and aquaculture in Aotearoa.”

WWF-New Zealand Head of Campaigns, Peter Hardstaff, agrees:

“Fishing provides a valuable source of protein for people but it can also have environmental impacts. We all want a world where fish are plentiful and where fishing doesn’t harm marine ecosystems. WWF believes working with Moana New Zealand will help achieve this vision.”

“This partnership has transformational change at its heart and the ability to deliver tangible, measurable environmental benefits is a key part of the collaboration.”

Since the partnership began, in addition to the Māui dolphin commitment, 100 per cent of Moana’s contracted trawl and long-line fishers nationwide have been trained in seabird-safe fishing practices through the Seabird Smart programme, the company has been improving the transparency through electronic monitoring, Aquaculture Stewardship Council certification has been achieved for a major pāua farming operation and back on land the company has reduced water and energy consumption and waste.

The Partnership is scheduled to run until mid-2020 during which time WWF-New Zealand and Moana New Zealand will continue to work together to help build a future in which sustainable fishing and aquaculture thrives in healthy ecosystems – benefiting people, business and local communities – and safeguarding valuable marine ecosystems for future generations.

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