﻿Mr SPEAKER: Question No 4, Eugenie Sage.
EUGENIE SAGE (Green)
to the Minister for Primary Industries:
Does he stand by his predecessor's statement
that "Protecting our aquatic environment
"by setting environmental standards and fostering
"good fishing practices results in sustainable fisheries"?
Hon NATHAN GUY (Minister for Primary Industries):
Yes, I do. I believe that the fundamental principles
of the quota management system (QMS) are sound.
This is evidenced by the fact that 96% of fish stocks
of known value are at or above sustainable levels.
However, the Heron report released last Friday
clearly shows that the Ministry of Primary Industries' (MPI)
decision not to prosecute in the case of Operation Achilles
was flawed. This was disappointing and should never have happened.
The Heron report notes that MPI's processes are generally robust
and its people experienced and professional. I will ensure
that MPI makes whatever changes are necessary
to ensure that improvements are made. [Interruption]
Mr SPEAKER: Order! [Interruption] Order!
I do not mind—[Interruption]
Order! I do not mind some interjection,
but the level coming from one member to my left
is now too regular.
Eugenie Sage: Is fish dumping a good practice
that results in sustainable fisheries; if not, why have he
and his ministry failed to outlaw it?
Hon NATHAN GUY: No, it is not a good practice.
Countries around the world have been dealing and grappling
with this issue, and it is mentioned in the Heron report,
right back from the Ministry of Fisheries through to MPI.
We have the operational review The Future of our Fisheries
under way. We have had one round of public consultation;
we will be moving to the next round. I am sure
there will need to be policy changes
and regulatory changes made. The member may also be aware
that I have asked officials to crack on with electronic monitoring,
which is going to be very important, and extra compliance.
Eugenie Sage: Does the Minister disagree with the statement
by the Director of Fisheries Management
that "discarding is a systemic failure of the current system
"and something we have not been able to get on top of
"from day 1 of the QMS."?
Hon NATHAN GUY: If the member was listening,
I addressed that question when I answered it previously.
Dumping and discarding is an issue that successive Governments
have been trying to deal with and grapple with
over a period of time. The QMS is now 30 years old.
We have the operational review under way, and I am sure that
through that process the necessary changes will be made.
Eugenie Sage: Is his current operational review
still just a pulse check and a high-level review,
as he has described it, or will it address
the big and longstanding systemic problems like fish dumping?
Hon NATHAN GUY: The operational review The Future of our Fisheries
is under way. We have had our first round of consultation.
We are aiming to have a public discussion document out
by the end of the year. This is a very broad review.
We will need to deal with the fundamentals of policy
and regulatory changes, and I am of the view
that I will need to come into the House to ensure
that the electronic monitoring— GPS, electronic monitoring,
and cameras on vessels will need a law change.
But in saying that, we have learnt from
the Operation Achilles report. The Snapper 1 cameras are on board
those vessels now. We have a legally binding memorandum
of understanding so that all that footage can be used
for prosecution purposes.
Eugenie Sage: How can the public have any confidence
that cameras and video monitoring will help
when MPI had extensive video footage of fish dumping
in Operation Achilles and senior managers
blocked prosecution based on that video footage?
Hon NATHAN GUY: As QC Heron states,
MPI's prosecution processes are generally robust,
with high-quality and experienced people.
However, a flawed process was followed that was not
well-documented and that led MPI to decide not to prosecute
in the case of Achilles, and I find that very disappointing.
Eugenie Sage: Does the Minister still think
the quota management system is world leading when fish dumping
means the ministry has inaccurate information
about fish stocks and catch limits?
Hon NATHAN GUY: I answered that in the primary answer,
where I said that it is evidenced by the fact
that 96% of our fish stocks of known value are at or above
sustainable levels. We do a huge amount of science,
and all of the plenary scientific information
is publicly available. The member should be well aware
that twice a year, for the 1 April and 1 October fishing seasons,
there is a huge amount of scientific evidence
that is made available, that is consulted on,
and that, ultimately, the Minister decides on to ensure
that our fishing system is sustainable for everyone
to enjoy in the long term.
Eugenie Sage: Rather than his pulse-check review,
will the Minister commission an independent review
of the operation of the quota management system,
given the Simmons report,
which showed that commercial fishers were dumping
more than twice the amount of fish they caught
between 1986 and 2010, and now the Heron report,
which shows that MPI fails to prosecute such dumping?
Hon NATHAN GUY: What is really interesting—
in the part of that question to do with the Simmons report—
is that MPI is trying to get a hold of all of the data sets
to analyse that information.
Because that report is so politically charged,
MPI has been unable to get its hands on all of that information.
I find that very disappointing. Instead of that report
and those authors choosing to work constructively with MPI
and share their information so that we can ensure
the sustainability of our long-term fisheries here in NZ,
that information has, unfortunately, been blocked.
Mr SPEAKER: Question No 5.