A large public backlash has been credited as influencing Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones to abandon a proposal to permit commercial fishers to land and sell accidentally-caught marlin.
Northland’s recreational fishers are celebrating Fisheries Minister Shane Jones’ U-turn on a proposal to let commercial operators land and sell dead marlin bycatch.
But they believe it is as much a political retreat by a minister blindsided by backlash as it is an awakening to the true value of New Zealand’s recreational fishing industry.
They also say it is just one victory in an ongoing battle against a suite of concerning proposed fisheries reforms, which are going to a select committee this year.
The proposal would have allowed longline operators to keep dead marlin caught accidentally while targeting tuna, rather than discarding them at sea – a way of reducing waste, Jones said.
He said he backed down from the proposal after reflecting over Christmas and on advice from officials following a meeting in Paihia in early December with sports fishing clubs and marine businesses.
They stressed the value of recreational fishing and its associated industries to Northland and also called for a legally binding Billfish Accord.
“A good politician has to know how to pivot,” Jones said, adding that wider reforms will be debated through the select committee process, where a variety of stakeholders can have their say.
“The reality is that we’ve got to prioritise our efforts in an election year.”
Jones said niche issues such as these “mustn’t overwhelm the broader agenda” to boost productivity in the fisheries sector.
Jones said “a strong point was made” at the Paihia meeting as to how marlin fishing supports a wide network of industries.
Representatives from boatbuilding and marine supply businesses argued that protecting recreational fishing wasn’t just about sport – it underpinned jobs, retail and investment, with a value speakers estimated to be tens of millions of dollars to Northland each year.
Jones was reminded at the meeting about historical commitments by a previous government – long before he entered politics – to keep billfish outside the Quota Management System (QMS).
Swordfish, originally protected under a 1990 billfish memorandum of understanding, were later included as bycatch. Within two years, annual catches exploded from 50 tonnes to 1000 tonnes.
Jones said: “Obviously, being the former chair of the Māori Fisheries Commission, I deeply understand the importance of historical agreements ... If it’s appropriate to give it [a new Billfish Accord sought by sports fishers] legal status, then I’ll take a proposal to Cabinet as part of the Fisheries Reforms 2026.”
Jones stressed he had no intention of unwinding the swordfish quota decision.
“That would require massive compensation to the owners of the quota, and I don’t have a Cabinet mandate to do that.
“I have no desire whatsoever to go to Nicola Willis and ask her for millions of dollars to buy up quota – there are other demands on the Crown chequebook.”
Kerikeri boatbuilder Allan Shaw, whose arguments impressed Jones at the Paihia meeting, said he doubts the minister’s change of mind will repair the political damage already caused by the proposal.
“I don’t think Shane expected the backlash,” Shaw said.
“New Zealand First’s voter base includes a lot of tradies and working-class people who love fishing. This has done huge damage.”
Shaw said the earlier demise of Northland’s swordfish stocks was a lesson that couldn’t be ignored.
“That fishery was decimated by the longline fleet. We had the best swordfish fishery in the world — and it’s gone."
Shaw warned the same fate could await marlin – the species that now underpins Northland’s reputation as a world-class sport fishery.
“In New Zealand, we hold 26 world records for striped marlin. We’re the striped marlin capital of the world,” he said. “A big fish elsewhere might be 60kg. Here they are 200kg-plus.”
Shaw said a commercially landed marlin might fetch $10 to $12 a kilogram.
“But a recreationally caught marlin can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars when you factor in boats, gear, servicing and tourism spend. Lose that, and the industry collapses.”
Television fishing personality Matt Watson, an advocate for recreational fishing, said Jones’ decision to back down on the marlin issue was “the correct one”.
He questioned why the proposal was ever floated.
“It’s a public resource, and the public should be the first people consulted about it,” Watson said.
“It was so far off being palatable for the public, and so far off passing any form of real economic benefit. It would have been almost political suicide if he [Jones] pushed through with it.”
Watson warned the fight is far from over.
“There’s a whole suite of changes that will negatively impact not only the environment, but people’s ability to access enough fish to feed themselves.”
Those proposals included: longer gill nets, extended soak times, and rules enabling commercial operators to accumulate catch entitlements – measures he believed could “hammer fish stocks” and further undermine sustainability.
Watson was sceptical about Jones’ promise to strengthen the Billfish Accord.
“If we want to honour the true intent of the accord, swordfish need to be brought back into it and truly be accidental catch only,” he said.
“But if the Government won’t claw back quota, then what’s he strengthening? It just sounds like words.”
Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, covering a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, mostly as a court reporter in Gisborne and on the East Coast.