Bottom trawling 'beyond comprehension'

Trawler heading out on fishing trip, Napier. Photo / NZME

LegaSea has blasted bottom trawling as an indiscriminate fish harvesting process that should be banned.

Spokesman Scott Macindoe said bottom trawling captured everything in its path, scraping vital marine growth off the seabed, but the damage was unseen, as it was under water and out of sight.

As environmental impacts from the agricultural sector were attracting increasing attention, public concern about the damage caused by some commercial fishing methods was also rising, however, the majority of people not even thinking that bottom trawling was allowed inshore.

"It is," he said, although in 2017 the Ministry for Primary Industries had "openly admitted" that bottom trawling and dredging were the most destructive fishing methods, causing damage to seabed habitats and reducing the density and diversity of species that lived there.

"Given the capabilities of modern science it is beyond comprehension why bottom trawling is still allowed when there are more environmentally-friendly alternatives, including long-lining and trapping, available to today's fishers."

LegaSea believed that the key barrier to responsible, sustainable fishing was the Quota Management System and the power wielded by quota holders.

Section 11 of the Fisheries Act 1996 gave the Minister of Fisheries, currently Stuart Nash, the authority to protect inshore waters by specifying catch limits, fishing areas, methods and seasons, in the interests of sustainability, he said, and it was a worry that, despite empowering legislation and strong public support, the minister would not act in the public interest when it came to banning trawling from inshore waters.

"There are more than 20,000 trawls in New Zealand waters every year, and commercial fishing is becoming even more industrialised, with bigger and more powerful trawlers. This does not bode well for our fish stocks or the health of the marine environment. Nor does it fit with public opinion," he added.

"The public have had enough. People are shocked when they learn the truth, that trawling is allowed inshore. They want it stopped today."