After a decade of consultation and compromise on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill the government is proposing last minute changes to allow commercial ring net fishing in two areas. I have provided ministers analysis showing the proposal would compromise the objectives of the marine protection areas. I also asked Fisheries New Zealand for data on ring net fishing. They replied 49 working days later with a partial response, two days after the bill was debated in the house and I had complained to the Ombudsman.
The data provides factual information to support new arguments against the proposal to allow commercial ring net fishing in the proposed protection areas.
- Commercial ring net fishers in the Hauraki Gulf catch an average of $26,588 worth of fish in the proposed protected areas, which is only 6.8% of their total Gulf catch (averaging $366,213 annually). In weight, this equates to 17,616 kg or 12.5% of their total catch. This demonstrates that the proposed protected areas account for a small percentage of their overall income, especially considering these fishers also operate on Auckland’s west coast.
- The average annual catch from the proposed protected areas is 17,616 kg worth $26,588, which is small compared to the natural variability in catch outside these areas. For example, the catch outside protected areas fluctuates by 35,103 kg and $141,801 across years, far exceeding the potential loss from protection.
| 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 | 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inside protected areas (kgs) | 28,051 | 23,125 | 9,575 | 9,713 | 17,616 |
| Outside protected areas (kgs) | 120,961 | 119,841 | 108,851 | 143,954 | 123,402 |
| Inside protected areas ($) | $28,383 | $47,838 | $16,280 | $13,852 | $26,588 |
| Outside protected areas ($) | $297,053 | $376,722 | $352,221 | $438,854 | $366,213 |
