New Zealand is implementing a suite of measures to better manage the environmental impact of bottom trawling by New Zealand fishers on the high seas, Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive Wayne McNee recently announced.
New Zealand agreed to implement a set of interim conservation and management measures during negotiations to form the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO). SPRFMO will be an international agreement that will manage fishing of non-tuna fish species and the environmental impacts of fishing in high seas areas of the southern Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea.
These interim measures are designed to ensure that bottom trawling activity does not increase from current levels and that significant adverse impacts on 'vulnerable marine ecosystems' (VMEs) such as seamounts and deepwater coral forests are avoided.
The measures that will be taken by New Zealand in the proposed SRFMO area are:
• Limiting bottom trawling to areas that were fished between 2002 and 2006
• Prohibiting bottom trawling in any new areas
• Closing around 112,000 square kilometres of previously fished high seas area to bottom trawling
• Imposing restrictions on bottom trawling in around 82,000 square kilometres with a 'move-on rule'
• Requiring all fishing vessels to carry at least one Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) observer
These measures are designed to avoid and manage significant adverse impacts to VMEs from bottom trawling by focusing fishing activity on areas that are likely to have already been significantly affected and by minimising the impact of fishing in other areas.
"This is a major step forward in managing the environmental impacts of bottom trawling in the high seas around New Zealand,” said Mr McNee.
“New Zealand is committed to international efforts to manage high seas fishing and its environmental effects.”
These measures come into effect on May 1 2008.
