April 30, 2018
Fish quota critique foul hooked
The Maori fisheries settlement trust Te Ohu Kaimoana has come out swinging against a new book advocating an overhaul of New Zealand’s fisheries quota management system.
Chief executive Dion Tuuta says Voices From the Sea by Environmental Defence Society policy analyst policy Raewyn Peart is misguided, confuses the role of the QMS and the Fisheries Act, and lacks credibility.
The book says the 1992 Maori Fisheries Settlement has reduced flexibility to adjust the fisheries management system.
Mr Tuuta says the Crown can change the QMS in partnership with Maori, although fundamental changes could require a renegotiation of the terms of the settlement at a cost to taxpayers.
He says Maori have supported changes that will make fisheries more sustainable as long as they were grounded in science and not emotion.
They have also supported reductions in commercial catch to allow fish species such as hoki and orange roughy to recover.
Raewyn Peart says she is disappointed at Te Ohu Kaimoana’s response, which she described as highly defensive and strongly protective of the status quo.
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