Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand Inc
Media Release – for 5 April 2007 – Wellington
Government – Industry Fisheries Accord is a Sham
“The fishing industry Accord with the Minister of Fisheries, Jim Anderton, is a fake and a sham which offers
“protection” from bottom trawling where virtually no bottom trawling occurs, says the Environment and Conservation
Organisations of New Zealand, ECO.
“The scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, NIWA, did a review of the proposal and concluded
that considerably fewer than 1% of 46,000 bottom trawl tows annually would be put off limits by the Accord, says Cath
Wallace, co-chair of ECO.
“Anderton and the fishing industry are clearly relying on the fact that there is only a small number of people in New
Zealand who know that most of the areas agreed to be closed to fishing are not fished anyway. The areas are too deep,
are already closed, are barren of commercial fish or have already been trashed by the fishing industry.
“No one should be fooled by this Accord: it is the cheapest possible empty gesture – in fact it is worse than empty, it
sets back attempts to get genuine controls on the devastating impacts of bottom trawling by many years.
In return for their empty gesture, the fishing industry will be allowed to avoid real controls, to not have marine
protected areas for at least six years, and will be subsidised by the government which will pay for research that
previously the industry paid for.
New Zealand bottom trawling is one of the most unsustainable industries in New Zealand and has become notorious
internationally.
“Jim Anderton, has clearly been in cohoots with the fishing industry in conning the Cabinet into accepting this. Either
that, or the Labour government has cynically decided to agree to this knowing full well that it is a fake.
It is very sad and reprehensible that, weeks after Helen Clark declared that New Zealand would become sustainable, the
Cabinet should do a deal with the fishing industry. It is a con job on the New Zealand public. It will in effect allow
our most environmentally damaging industry to evade genuine controls and to continue to wreak havoc while genuine marine
protection measures are dumped.
ENDS