Milky snapper syndrome: Science, collaboration the solution to sick fish issue - Lisa Futschek

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has received reports of some snapper and trevally being caught that had flesh that looked “milky white” or “mushy”.

THREE KEY FACTS:

• The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has received reports of some snapper and trevally being caught that had flesh that looked “milky white” or “mushy”.
• While the syndrome was more common during the 2022-23 season, it had been seen and reported in previous years.
• The “milky white flesh syndrome” has been affecting snapper in the Hauraki Gulf and East Northland areas.

Lisa Futschek is the recently appointed chief executive of Seafood New Zealand, which advocates for a sustainable seafood sector.

OPINION

Let’s face it, nobody wants to be catching sick fish.

The rise of the milky-fleshed snapper is a real concern to the seafood industry – it’s concerning for all marine users – and something we all want to get to the bottom of.

But blaming commercial fishing when the science has shown otherwise (Niwa scientists recently found no link between fishing practices and milky fleshed snapper), isn’t helpful (”Overfishing is starving our snapper to death”, NZ Herald, July 26).

It’s unfair on the hard-working fishers, and it doesn’t get us any closer to understanding what’s happening out there in our waters and how we can help.

Something I’m in total awe of since jumping into the seafood sector, as the new chief executive of Seafood New Zealand, is the amount of science constantly being carried out to make sure our industry is fishing in a way that will enable future generations to enjoy our beautiful moana (ocean) and the nutrient-rich kaimoana (seafood) from within it. Just as we do today.

Thanks to this science, we have a solid understanding of our impacts on the marine environment which informs New Zealand’s world-leading quota management system and regulations, and ensures our fishing is sustainable.

What we don’t have is a firm grasp on the other aspects of our marine environment that are clearly having an impact. I’m talking about things like climate change, changing weather patterns and runoff.

We know these things are affecting our marine environment. To what extent? We’re not sure.

What we do know is that when it comes to the milky-fleshed snapper, scientists say the evidence suggests the root cause is a complex interplay between factors, including extended La Niña weather patterns and warmer waters causing lower production of the phytoplankton and zooplankton that provide important food sources at the bottom of the food chain.

It can be a scary thing, the unknown.

People get tired of hearing about climate change, they feel it’s daunting trying to turn things around. Some feel the same about runoff – after all, our roads and houses are part of life, what can we do now to limit their impact on our moana?

But even though it’s tricky business, we must make looking at the whole ecosystem, from the mountains to the sea, a priority.

We need the science to guide us, not hearsay. Shortly, Seafood NZ will be helping to fund an additional two days of a baseline survey on the biodiversity of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

Snapper with milky white flesh syndrome (right) and normal fillets (left).

This is being carried out by Niwa and will help us to understand what’s happening on the seafloor. While it won’t give us all the answers, it will get us a step closer to ensuring that management measures in the Gulf are based on robust information and science.

To get the full picture, we need everyone around the table. Collaboration is key, and it’s where we’ve been successful in the past. We all need to be working together – government, marine users, land users, environmental organisations and others – to support the long-term health of our marine environment and fisheries.

This approach doesn’t just apply to the Hauraki Gulf, but right across the country. Whether it’s collaborating with the Ministry for Primary Industries to scope and fund research into the potential impacts of increasing sedimentation and water quality on the flatfish biomass in Hawke’s Bay, working with recreational fishers to sample spawning snapper, or supporting surface longline fishers on the South Island’s east coast to implement seabird mitigations that work for the fisher and go beyond what will soon be regulation.

New Zealand’s fishing industry takes its role as kaitiaki (guardian) of the marine environment very seriously. While new to the seafood industry, I’m no stranger to problem-solving.

I believe we would all be better placed if we stopped pointing the finger and tried working better together, pooling our energy and resources to obtain the science and find solutions. I’m willing to get around that table and hope others will join me.