The Hauraki Gulf is not just a 'big blue backyard' - it's an important source of healthy fish for Aucklanders who can't catch it for themselves.
Seafood New Zealand CEO Dr Jeremy Helson says everyone has a right to have a view of the Hauraki Gulf's future, but he is concerned that the Hauraki Gulf Alliance petition's limited focus is unhelpful to the shared vision of a healthy Hauraki Gulf.
"To really make positive improvements in the Gulf, there needs to be a generational change and a Ki uta ki tai - mountains-to-sea approach is needed," Helson says.
"The Ministry for Primary Industries has said the main threats to the Gulf are a multitude of things - population growth, development and intensification of land use, land-use practices that result in significant sediment loads, nutrients, pathogens, marine debris and other contaminants, aging infrastructure, increasing ship and boat numbers, commercial and recreational fishing, and marine pests.
"Yes, commercial fishing is and has been one of the pressures on the Gulf. But commercial fishers have significantly changed how they fish since the mid-1980s, when inshore finfish stocks, including those in the Gulf were in a perilous state.
"The number of fishing vessels has reduced, technology and fishing gear has improved, and the increase in healthy fish stocks, thanks to the Quota Management System and management targets, mean fishers are able to stick to the adapted, sandy-bottomed fishing grounds in the Gulf, avoiding areas rich in biodiversity.
"People might be surprised to know that we only need to fish a small part of the Gulf to maintain a supply of fish for Aucklanders that are not able to catch it for themselves. 84% of the Inner Gulf (inside the line from Colville in the south east to Takata Point in the north west) is closed to trawling. And 27% of the entire Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is closed to trawling and Danish seining; of the remaining 73% we fish about half of this (53% in 2021/22).
"The seafood industry has never stood still, and will never stand still, on our journey of improvement - a journey we're undertaking on behalf of the millions of Kiwis who regularly eat fish for dinner and want to feel confident it is caught sustainably. An estimated 50% of fish commercially caught in the Gulf is sold to Aucklanders - in restaurants, fish shops, take-away shops. We provide fish to those who do not have the resources to catch it for themselves.
"Commercial fishing is not, and would never, shirk its own responsibilities, but unless effective action also takes place on the land, all the other actions will have little effect. This is what we should be asking the Government and councils for, an ecosystem-based approach that addresses all stressors on the Gulf, in proportion to the risk each poses.
"I would like to see everyone who impacts the Gulf working better together with focus, urgency and commitment so we can make long lasting improvements to its health."
Further background:
