Hoki industry denies it may lose eco-label

1.00pm - By LEAH MCFALL

A claim the New Zealand hoki fishery is facing the withdrawal of a prized label certifying that its catch is responsibly fished is being strongly denied by an industry leader.

The Royal New Zealand Forest and Bird Society said yesterday the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) had audited the fishery and threatened to withdraw the eco-certificate unless the fishery complied with its requirements.

Senior researcher Barry Weeber said it was "obvious" hoki catches were unsustainable and the fishery killed too many seals.

"It's a sad indictment of the fishing industry that New Zealand's only certified sustainable fishery is in danger of losing its certification because it clearly is not ecologically sustainable," Mr Weeber said.

He said according to the most recent MSC report, measures to reduce the by-kill of protected seals in the hoki fishery had not been put into the company's code of practice.

The fishery's annual haul had been cut by 60 per cent in four years, from 250,000 tonnes to an expected limit this year of 100,000 tonnes.

"Hoki's sustainability certification is a sad joke."

But Hoki Fisheries Management Company chief executive Richard Cade told NZPA today Mr Weeber was "factually incorrect".

The audit was routine and its results, pointing out aspects of the fishery which needed improving, did not constitute a threat to the certificate.

"They have said we must do this work to maintain our certificate -- quite a different thing altogether."

The fishery needed to do more work to reduce the seal kill and to better monitor commercial fishers, but Mr Cade said this work was well under way.

"When the certification was first granted, Niwa's estimate was that we were killing 1000 seals a year ... we're now down to a third of that and we're still making improvements."

The reduced annual catch limit did not prove that hoki was being irresponsibly fished. Warmer waters had reduced fish numbers, he said.

"I don't think it's being overfished... It is being fished sustainably. I don't want a fishery that isn't sustainably managed."

Forest and Bird had been repeatedly invited to join an independently-chaired environmental steering group, and had refused, Mr Cade said.

"What really bugs me is this guy keeps throwing bricks and doesn't want to get in there and help."

Mr Weeber earlier said the MSC should have done more to make the company comply sooner. Their lack of action was "a disgrace".

According to the Hoki Fisheries Management Company website, New Zealand hoki was the first whitefish catch in the world to be given the MSC eco-label, three years ago.

Forest and Bird appealed the certification and was turned down.

The hoki fishery is worth $300 million annually.

- NZPA