The Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association says that DOC’s announcement of a suspension of consultation regarding a
proposed South East Marine Protection Area is “late, half-hearted and confusing.”
“We first asked the Department of Conservation (DOC) to withdraw this proposal because of COVID-19 on 18 February,” says
Kate Hesson, Executive Officer of ORLIA. “It is insulting that it took them 51 days of dithering to make a half-hearted
and confusing decision, and then claim that means they’re all about ‘saving lives’.”
Ms Hesson says that she cannot understand why it took so long to make such a poor decision. “I simply can’t fathom why
the Minister of Conservation has been so determined to push this proposal through during a national emergency at the
expense of the well-being of the Otago and Southland fishing community.”
Ms Hesson also noted that DOC and Fisheries NZ are saying two different things about when consultation would be
re-started. “DOC says it will be when ‘COVID-19 restrictions have eased’, while Fisheries say it will be ‘once COVID-19
restrictions have been lifted’. Those are entirely different things and they know it. Meanwhile we are left still not
knowing what is really going on.”
“It is simply callous to have recognised the problem and then decided not to solve it.”