Proposals to close the Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds to commercial fishermen have been criticised by New Zealand’s commercial fishermen as a cynical vote-gathering move.
The proposals to create Recreational Fishing Parks in the Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds have been rushed through with apparently no consultation with either commercial or recreational fishermen, and do not have the basis of any scientific backing.
The New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen has produced a 15-minute video that showcases the impact those closures will have on fishermen’s livelihoods, local economies, tourism, hospitality businesses and everyday New Zealanders who, if they can’t go fishing, will no longer have locally-caught fish.
