Phil Heatley National Party Fisheries Spokesman
12 January 2005
More beaches closed
Increasing numbers of beaches closed to shellfish collection are causing the loss of a great New Zealand family
tradition, says National Party Fisheries spokesman, Phil Heatley.
Answers to written questions show that 12 stretches of New Zealand coastline are currently closed to shellfish
collection.
Only four stretches of coastline were closed during the nineties. This increased to seven in 2002.
"Some of these include entire harbours. Clearly the Ministry of Fisheries is stretched when it comes to policing New
Zealand's coastline."
Mr Heatley says the Minister's decision to slash the number of honorary fisheries officers from 217 in 2002 to only 147
volunteers patrolling New Zealand beaches today has effectively created opportunities for people to plunder the
coastline.
"Increasing plundering of our shellfish and resulting beach closures are clear proof that the Ministry's compliance unit
is poorly resourced and inefficient," says Mr Heatley.
The Ministry of Fisheries has initiated a further policy that honorary fisheries officers work in pairs for safety
reasons.
"When you slash their numbers, then demand they work in pairs, you are effectively reducing the ground they can
effectively police by more than 50%," says Mr Heatley.
ENDS