Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said boosted observation of New Zealand’s commercial fisheries will help mitigate the environmental effects of fishing.
Jim Anderton said observers provide fisheries management information, including: biological information on fish species to assess the health of fisheries; evidence and level of discarding fish at sea; by-catch of seabirds and marine mammals; and location of fishing.
This new funding will enable the Fisheries Ministry to more than double the total amount of observer coverage it currently provides.
Increasing observer coverage will enable the Ministry to:
· monitor and document bottom trawling encounters with vulnerable marine ecosystems;
· improve monitoring of the increasing processing at sea by larger vessels;
· improve monitoring of protected species by-catches; and
· improve monitoring in the set net and inshore trawl fisheries, particularly in areas where marine mammals are found.
Jim Anderton said the funding increase will start with $1 million in 2008/09, increasing to $2 million in 2009/10 and to $3 million from 2010/11 onwards. This money will be cost-recovered through levies on the commercial fishing industry.
“The initiative supports the Government’s goal of improving the environmental effects of fishing, ensuring the sustainability of our fisheries and the marine environment and maintaining access to key international markets.”
