Following Greenpeace’s revelation that New Zealand’s fishing industry is responsible for its own monitoring, Sanford’s Volker Kuntzsch has responded by saying that Greenpeace should be supporting, not attacking an industry that is investing to ensure the best technology, monitoring and research available on fisheries.
The director of Greenpeace New Zealand announced the situation is akin to having a fox guarding the hen house when New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) gave the contract for managing on-board cameras to Trident Systems, which has close links to fishing companies, including Sanford. Greenpeace’s Normal Russel has levelled a series of accusations against the fishing business, commenting that three MPI investigations had indicated Sanford Limited was either engaged in potentially illegal activities, or the vessels supplying the company were engaged in potentially illegal behaviour.
Sanford CEO Volker Kuntzsch hs hit back at Greenpeace, saying that in the same way the international industry invested with WWF to build the Marine Stewardship Council into the global standard for sustainable certification, the industry in New Zealand is investing and working together to get full transparency across its fleet with electronic monitoring.
‘The industry partnerships with Trident are no secret, they are on the Trident website. We are proud of that work, this technology on our boats and the investment we are making, which we have been talking about for the past year,’ he said.
‘We have been pushing to have electronic monitoring fast-tracked so that in real time all vessel owners, MPI and fishing companies can track, monitor and report what’s happening on the water.’
Volker Kuntzsch said it would be interesting to understand why Greenpeace is not engaged in trying to identify ways to encourage fisheries in countries that urgently need to improve their behaviour, instead of undermining the efforts in a fishery that is generally regarded as one of the best, if not the best, in terms of sustainable management in the world.
‘I also note Russell Norman’s rather underhanded comments regarding historic leaked reports being referred to dating back to 2006 to 2012. In relation to the 2006 report, I understand that matter was dealt with and concluded through the appropriate MPI investigation process. In regard to the latter leaked preliminary investigation reports, which MPI have never provided to Sanford, we welcome MPI’s appointment of a QC to review MPI’s processes in regard to these matters.’
‘I’m sure I speak for everyone involved in investing in the Trident electronic monitoring technology and research, when I say that we would be very pleased to host Mr Norman to get him fully briefed on this technology, what it does, and why we’re backing it,’ Volker Kuntzsch said.
