Fishing has become complicated and uneconomical for locals due to the quota "landlords" acting as middlemen, extracting rents from fishermen to access our wild fish.

Small owner/operators who used to live in the same communities they provided for have mostly gone. These were the mum-and-dad operations, often generational fishers, who used to husband our fisheries and care for the environment that sustained them.

Remaining fishers are dependent on the willingness of quota owners to lease them Annual Catch Entitlement, or ACE as it is known today.

Kiwis in the documentary were complaining about the refusal of these quota holders to spread the entitlement around, but the management system allows almost complete freedom for a quota owner to choose who will catch the fish.

Quota owners are obliged to maximise returns for their shareholders. They can earn higher rentals from their joint venture charters who hire cheap foreign labour. This avoids the need to employ Kiwis and pay compliance costs.

The refusal of Kiwi fishermen to speak out against the quota management system arises either from ignorance or fear of falling foul of the companies that dish out the catching rights.

Ultimately, the quota management system is delivering exactly what it was designed to achieve - greatest economic efficiency.

An observer could be excused thinking the quota system is a religion that nobody feels empowered to challenge in fear of disclosing some dark, heretic beliefs.

It is in the public interest that the quota system is exposed because it incentivises an industry to draw on corrupt practices perfected by the tobacco industry years ago, and it is unethical.

Such influence extends to the industry gaining additional control of management processes and expecting their own research papers to be accepted. It also is evidenced by their insistence that dubious statistical models are "science" and should be accepted as the best information for decision-making, even though these models selectively ignore important data while incorporating masses of assumptions.

Fisheries managers seem to have fallen into the trap of acting "in terrorem", a legal phrase used recently in the Supreme Court, which means to scare a person into complying with the terms of an agreement.

The legacy of privatisation, being compliant to industry demands and not maintaining high environmental standards has been at the expense of every New Zealander's social, economic and cultural wellbeing.

Refocusing fisheries management on the statutory obligation of the minister to have particular regard to kaitiakitanga, the Maori concept of stewardship of our resources, with special consideration for the people who follow us, would resolve most of the issues highlighted in the documentary.

To achieve maximum benefit from our fisheries we must insist that foreigners are banished, leaving New Zealand fish for Kiwi fishermen.

We must also empower our Government and fisheries managers to reform the current system that encourages the rent-seeking behaviour of quota owners.

It is time for New Zealanders to reclaim their fisheries.

* Trish Rea is an advocate for non-commercial fishing interests and has been involved in fisheries management issues since 2000.