The New Zealand Seafood Industry agrees with the World Trade Organisation director-general, Pascal Lamy’s comments about the environmental cost to the oceans of government subsidised fishing.
Mr Lamy said governments had contributed to the problem by allowing more boats on the water and fewer fish in the sea.
New Zealand Seafood Industry Council chief executive, Owen Symmans says New Zealand is internationally recognised as having a sustainable fishery because its focus is on the health of its fish stocks, not on the number of boats in the fishery.
“The New Zealand fishery is not subsidised and is managed by the Quota Management System (QMS), which focuses on sustainable utilization and has the support of industry.
“New Zealand fishermen have invested in the long term and want to ensure fishing is for today as well as the future. Not only do subsidies contribute to overfishing but they distort international trade meaning that New Zealand companies are less competitive in world markets.
“According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation 80 per cent of the world’s fisheries are under pressure, thankfully New Zealand is in the 20 percent that is not,” said Mr Symmans.
