According to a University of Auckland Business School study disturbing levels of inhumane conditions and abuse have been found among the foreign charter fishing vessels (FCVs) operating in New Zealand’s water. It is reported that nearly 2000 mainly Asian men on 27 vessels were suffered inhuman conditions which has led to a joint ministerial investigation into the operations.
Dominated by aging Korean fishing boats, the FCVs are mainly used to fish Maori quota with most of their catch shipped straight to China for processing. The report said that the FCVs also have contracts, false time sheets, bank statements and bonus sheets which show New Zealand officials are routinely and systematically lied to over wages and conditions.
These FCVs are engaged in illegal dumping and high grading – throwing quota and by-catch fish overboard in the hope of getting higher value commercial catches later. The university report includes statements from sailors and witnesses. An Indonesian fisherman who survived a Korean boat was quoted in the study saying they were trapped on the boat saying they were trapped into modern slavery … in the old days slaves were not paid and chained, now they are paid and trapped … but they are worse than slaves.
The study revealed that a foreigner on an FCV can expect to earn between $6700 and $11,600 a year while a foreigner working on a New Zealand-flagged fishing boat would earn between $60,000 and $80,000. But the Government is ordering them out, with Immigration Minister Kate Wilkinson ignoring a request from Labour MP Darien Fenton.
