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From: DAVE HEAD
_: 5
Date: 03-02-10
Time: 08:25
am shocked at the proposal by the Ministry of Fisheries to increase New Zealand’s quota for southern bluefin tuna. This species is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and since that assessment was made their status has declined even further. The species is now at a historic low with only 5% of the un-fished population left.
Southern bluefin tuna is a severely overfished species by anyone’s definition, and it is outrageous that the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries has responded - not with a proposal to close the fishery - but with a proposal to increase the Total Allowable Catch by 25%.
New Zealand trades on our reputation as being clean and green, and we’ve seen this reputation tarnished too many times lately by our fishing industry. New Zealand hoki and orange roughy are now being removed from sale by retailers overseas that won’t accept bottom trawled fish. The Ministry of fisheries is supposed to be sustainably managing our fisheries. It is failing.
There is no way that New Zealand can claim to have a sustainable fisheries management system and at the same time propose to increase the quota of a critically endangered species like southern bluefin tuna. It is not sustainable, and it’s not a good look.
I call on the Ministry of Fisheries to withdraw this outrageous proposal before further harm is done to our marine environment and our international reputation. Instead of a quota increase, New Zealand must work with the other countries involved in the southern bluefin tuna fishery to close the fishery and give the species a chance at recovery - before it’s too late.
Dave Head
Last changed: 03-Feb-2010