The commercial fishing industry has recently taken a battering by an in-depth study of under reporting and wasteful dumping of fish in New Zealand waters over the last 60 years. For Karl Warr, a commercial fisherman in Hawke’s Bay, this wasn’t a surprise – he has seen the issue throughout his 15-year commercial career. But…
Gurnard are a special treat so it is concerning that increasing numbers of people are highlighting the scarcity of this prized fish on the eastern seaboard. For years they have been a rare catch in the Hauraki Gulf. Now it seems Bay of Plenty fishers are starting to feel the bite. Decades of inshore trawling…
There is an ongoing furore over the revelations in two official reports that Ministry for Primary Industries officials knew commercial trawl fishers were illegally dumping, discarding and high grading fish but did nothing to stop the crimes or perpetrators. Our New Zealand Sport Fishing Council fisheries team has submitted several Official Information Act requests to…
Paul Henry might have been exaggerating when he said recently that all fishermen are liars, but for New Zealand authorities to be caught red-handed under reporting total catch by half to the United Nations for the past 60 years, that’s in another league. The strident denials then ‘shoot the messenger’ reactions from the Minister for…
What a shambles our fisheries management is in, claim and denial met by counter claim and more strident denial. The public relations outfits must be licking their lips and counting the dollars. The average New Zealander just wants to know the truth, so here is the start. Of course fishermen dump fish over the side….
