| Talks
To Commence On Allocation In Shared Fisheries
Press
Release by New Zealand Government
16
January 2006
The Fisheries Ministry is
to begin talks in February with key recreational, customary and
commercial groups about allocation of shared fisheries, Fisheries
Minister Jim Anderton said today.
This continues the work the
Ministry is currently doing to improve New Zealand's management
of shared fisheries, and it is hoped this will help reduce conflict
between the non-commercial and commercial sectors.
"The government wants
to get better value from our shared fisheries. To manage fisheries
for greater benefit, we need people working together, rather than
against each other," Mr Anderton said.
"One of our biggest
problems in shared fisheries is the allocation between the sector
groups - i.e. how much of the catch each sector can take.
"Unfortunately, current
fisheries legislation does not give us a robust framework for resolution
of allocation issues in shared fisheries. This had led to a lot
of uncertainty, which in turn can lead to conflict and tension between
the sectors. Uncertainty produces a bad investment environment for
industry.
"As a first step in
the process of developing a new framework for managing shared fisheries,
I have asked the Fisheries Ministry to begin talking with key recreational,
customary and commercial sector groups in February
"The Ministry will discuss
with these groups the allocation issues they think need addressing,
and ask for suggestions on how to resolve these issues.
"These ideas will be
used to develop a document for public discussion, which will contain
practical options to address the issues of concern in shared fisheries.
I hope to release this in mid June.
"Success in this current
process will require goodwill and commitment to positive outcomes
from all parties," Mr Anderton said.
Important shared fisheries
include snapper, rock lobster, paua, blue cod, kingfish and kahawai.
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