The Chief Executive of Forest & Bird says the coalition government is undoing its positive work on the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill by allowing commercial fishing in proposed protected areas.
The bill is currently in its second reading in Parliament, and Nicola Toki says Forest & Bird, along with other conservation groups, Māori, and recreational fishers, all advocate for zero commercial fishing in the Gulf’s protected zones.
She says Fisheries Minister Shane Jones and Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka need to withdraw their support for commercial fishing exemptions.
“Tama Potaka and Shane Jones will tell you ‘Oh but it’s only you know half a dozen boats and it’s only for a couple of months a year’. That is not the point. And if they’re going to crack open the door on allowing commercial fishing in these places, then that means all bets are off for our other marine protected areas,” says Toki.
Nicola Toki says a 57% decline in key fish stocks and the functional extinction of scallops and crayfish is evidence of the urgent need to protect the Hauraki Gulf.
