MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
New Zealand’s marine management is fragmented, incoherent and lacks any common environmental purpose. It requires major reform. The problem is greatest beyond the 12 nautical mile limit to the edge of the 200 nautical miles limit and beyond to the edge of the continental shelf. Marine ecosystems suffer over-exploitation and considerable damage from fishing and pollution. Stocks of orange roughy, snapper and rock lobster have been severely over-fished and reduced to low levels and others are seriously stressed. Fisheries research funding has been cut in real terms by over 24% since 1992. This is despite a proposal for an extra 60 to 120 species to be added to the quota management system. Current stock size is known only for 33 of the 236 quota stocks. The fishing industry is intent on capturing critical aspects of fisheries management including fisheries planning, research, and crucial quota management services. Other interests will be excluded and/or marginalised. Marine ecosystems will be at much greater risk.

Political Parties should commit to:
 

Review of marine management
  1. Reform the management of the marine environment with the aim of establishing a Ministry of Marine Environmental Management with integrating legislation to achieve comprehensive management of the marine environment consistent with the United Nations Law of the Sea, the United Nations Fisheries Agreement and the Convention on Biodiversity. Protection of marine mammals, seabirds and marine reserves should stay with the Department of Conservation.


    2. Fisheries Management

  2. Retain Government control and administration of fisheries management, research and enforcement, including the preparation of sustainability plans, fisheries research for the purposes of fisheries acts and the catch and effort data bases, rather than devolving these functions to the fishing industry. Key action: reject the devolution and co-management proposals in the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
  3. Introduce requirements for environmental and impact assessments for fishing and include a requirement for the Minister of Conservation's concurrence with any measure (including a decision to have no measure) to protect marine life from the impacts of fishing. This will allow management of impacts on marine mammals, seabirds and benthic fauna. Key action: assessment of areas of known or potentially significant biodiversity, and of damaging methods and new and exploratory fisheries.
  4. Ensure fisheries are managed according to the precautionary principle so that: 
  1. depleted fish stocks are rebuilt through controls which allow only limited fishing or closures as appropriate;
  2. all fish stocks are managed to ensure populations do not fall significantly below unfished population levels (eg 70%);
  3. fishing is strictly limited or not permitted for fish stocks for which information on population levels or fishing impacts is absent, seriously inadequate, or indicates significant adverse effects.
  1. End fishing practices that cause significant adverse impacts on the marine environment including an end to the use of set nets and bottom trawling. Key sites: seamounts, Spirits Bay, Golden Bay, Tasman Bay, and Hector’s dolphin habitat.
  2. Reduce seabird and marine mammal deaths in fisheries to negligible levels approaching zero by 2002. Key species: albatross and petrels in longline fishing, sea lions and seals in trawl fishing.
  3. Set limits on marine farming and ensure all marine farming licences are subject to the full provisions of the Resource Management Act. Key action: pass the Resource Management Amendment Bill (No 3).


    4. Marine Protected Areas

  4. Amend the Marine Reserves Act 1971 to extend the purposes of marine reserves to include education, recreation, and protection of natural heritage values and develop a marine protected areas act providing for a range of protective mechanisms in addition to the Marine Reserves Act.
  5. Provide safe refuges for marine life and enhance sustainable fisheries management by establishing marine protected areas including protecting 5% of New Zealand’s marine area as no-take marine reserves or marine protected areas by 2002, with 20% protected by 2010. For immediate action: Kaikoura, Nuggets (Otago), Stewart Island, Subantarctic Islands, Nelson, Waiheke Island, Wellington south coast. For investigation and protection: representative areas in every marine biogeographic district, the open ocean, the Ross Sea. 
  6. Establish a network of marine mammal sanctuaries covering the major feeding and breeding grounds of New Zealand's marine mammals. Key sites: Kaikoura, Cape Palliser, Cape Foulwind, Canterbury Coast, Auckland Islands (out to 100 km surrounding), Campbell Islands.
  7. Amend the National Parks Act to allow the protection of marine areas adjacent to national parks (eg Fiordland).
  8. Create marine parks that give priority to marine conservation and protection in Fiordland, the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands. 
  9. Support the creation of taiapure and mataitai areas as key elements in an extended network of marine conservation areas.

    10. Prohibit the further holding of whales, dolphins, seals and penguins in captivity unless as part of an approved threatened species recovery strategy.

For further information contact: ECO, Forest and Bird, and Greenpeace

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