The European Union has signed the Convention on the Conservation and Management of High Seas Fishery Resources of the South Pacific Ocean, which, once it enters into force, will ensure fishing from Western Australia to South America is subject to agreed international rules. The signing of the convention took place during a regular meeting of senior New Zealand officials and their counterparts from the EU’s Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in Wellington.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade the Convention will establish the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) to manage non-highly migratory fish species in the region, including deep sea fish stocks such as orange roughy. The EU is the seventh party to sign the SPRFMO Convention, which will close one of the last remaining governance gaps for high-seas fisheries. New Zealand signed the SPRFMO Convention on 1 February 2010.
New Zealand and the EU have many shared interests in the fisheries area, and the EU is a very important high value market for New Zealand seafood. It is clear from this convention that both the continents are keen to ensure that fish stocks are sustainably managed, especially through effective regional fisheries management organisations.
The dialogue between New Zealand and the European Union on fisheries is one of several NZ-EU dialogues held on a regular basis, covering a range of political and economic themes.
