By ERIC BARRATT*
As managing director of one of New Zealand's largest and most successful fishing companies, I have maintained a close interest in the scampi inquiry conducted by Parliament's primary production select committee over the last few months.
It's expected that this protracted inquiry will be completed shortly, and given the
big contribution the fishing industry makes to the economy, through employment and export earnings, the committee's report will be an important one. (Meanwhile a State Services Commission inquiry into the ministry's administration of the scampi fishery continues.)
On February 24, I made a submission to the select committee inquiry on behalf of Sanford because there were some fundamental issues involved that potentially could affect all fishers.
These issues go to the very heart of New Zealand's system of fisheries management - the quota management system. As I stated before the select committee, by and large the system has worked very well since its inception. We have achieved sustainable management of key fisheries and avoided the disastrous fisheries failures that have occurred overseas in jurisdictions without a quota system, such as the Californian fishery and the Canadian cod fishery.
We now know that the claims of corruption and conspiracy, most of which were based on the allegations of a single commercial fisherman, have been thoroughly discredited. The allegations in TVNZ's Assignment documentary have all been found to be without foundation.
Winston Peters recently alleged a $1 billion corruption in the hoki fishery. This is an issue dating back almost 20 years and in no way related to the current scampi inquiry. Select committee members looked at Mr Peters' claims with a somewhat jaundiced eye - hardly surprising given the host of allegations made over scampi that have come to nothing.
In the absence of any corruption, the committee has instead had to fall back on issues of so-called "unfairness" in the ministry's administration of the scampi fishery.
What's apparent by now is that "unfairness" is very much in the eye of the beholder. All fishing companies, including Sanford, can justifiably claim that at one time or another the Ministry of Fisheries or its predecessor has treated them "unfairly".
However, any tinkering with the current system, in an attempt to "cure" unfairness in scampi or any other fishery, could send New Zealand fisheries back to the bad old days of endless litigation and appeals.
We have already seen the scampi fishery being operated as an "olympic" fishery (all the negatives of the race to catch the most fish) for the last two years, resulting in overcapitalisation and inefficient fleet and labour use, lowering of quality standards, disruption to markets and loss of export value.
Scampi is not a special case. If the committee feels an overpowering urge to make adjustments to scampi quota entitlements away from catch history in an attempt to introduce "fairness", then it must seek fairness for all fisheries introduced since catch history has been the sole determinant of quota entitlement.
In this case the committee would be jeopardising years of progress, not to mention cross-party parliamentary support and the binding decisions of successive Court of Appeal judgments.
I think we should appreciate that the committee members have worked hard since early February in grappling with the scampi issue.
Now it's time to move on, for the good of the scampi resource and for the benefit of the fishing industry and Maori.
Get the scampi fishery into the quota management system according to existing law, get the 20 per cent allocated to Maori, allocate to fishers on catch history and allow rational economic development of the fishery.
I'm hopeful that chairman David Carter and the other members of the select committee have understood that it would be a disaster if the integrity of the management system was allowed to be compromised and will tailor their long-awaited report accordingly.
* Eric Barratt is Sanford Group Managing Director
By ERIC BARRATT*
As managing director of one of New Zealand's largest and most successful fishing companies, I have maintained a close interest in the scampi inquiry conducted by Parliament's primary production select committee over the last few months.
It's expected that this protracted inquiry will be completed shortly, and given the
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