Nelson MP Rachel Boyack and Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Rachel Brooking at the launch of the Fishing Industry Transformation Plan in Nelson. Photo: RNZ/ Samantha Gee
Plans to grow the fishing industry by developing jobs and investing in new technology while adapting to a changing climate have been released by the government.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking launched the Fishing Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) in Nelson on Monday.
Brooking said the plan aimed to protect New Zealand's oceans for future generations and to also earn more without catching more fish.
"It's a plan to innovate, to do better, to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and to prepare for and deal with the impacts of climate change."
The transformation plan was developed by industry members, environmental groups, iwi representatives, scientists, unions and the food sector with the aim of boosting the environmental performance and value of the sector.
"It has the goal of making New Zealand an acknowledged world leader of innovative and sustainable premium seafoods and bio products, its release is a major step forward to achieving that.
"Seafood is already an important source of food, income and jobs. In the year to June it earned us a record $2.1 billion in export revenue and employs nearly 12,500 people and that's without factoring in the tourism industry."
Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Rachel Brooking with the newly launched Fishing Industry Transformation Plan (ITP). Photo: RNZ/ Samantha Gee
More than 3300 submissions were received on the draft plan, which was released in April.
Brooking said the final plan had more of an emphasis on climate change and she clarified that the government would not be subsidising new fishing vessels by renewing the inshore fishing fleet.
"That's something that New Zealand is very strong on, that we don't want to subsidise fisheries, there may be a role though for regional development for boat building."
Brooking said as well as considering the seafood industry itself, the plan considered the industry's wider effects.
"Oceans make life possible and not just because of the food and income they give us. They regulate the climate and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide, but they're under pressure too and there's no doubt we've got to find ways of doing things differently."
The plan outlined 22 actions it said would enable the industry to transform into a low emission, high productivity sector.
But Greenpeace said the new plan was anything but transformational, and a missed opportunity to protect the ocean from bottom trawling.
Greenpeace oceans campaigner Ellie Hooper said bottom trawling was one of the worst methods of fishing, it destroyed seafloor habitats and indiscriminately killed ocean life, and the new plan did nothing to stop the destruction.
"The science is clear - bottom trawling destroys marine habitats and life. The public knows this and are fully onside with a ban. Almost 80 percent of people surveyed want a ban on bottom trawling and that same sentiment shined through in submissions."
Brooking said bottom trawling was a bigger regulatory issue - one she was looking into - while the ITP was focused on different forms of fishing and new innovations.
Seafood NZ chief executive Jeremy Helson said bottom trawling was an important fishing method, used in two percent of New Zealand's waters.
"Part of this package is thinking about how to improve the environmental performance. We can do that without prohibitions, that's a very blunt tool, and the economic and social cost of that would be enormous."
He said the ITP charted a future for the seafood industry that was positive in terms of environmental credentials, increasing profitability and productivity, but also looking after people and communities.
"We are committed to changing the way we fish, adapting to make sure that we are reducing our environmental footprint to the extent possible, whilst also providing jobs and food for Kiwis."
WWF New Zealand chief executive Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb said it was pleased to see the industry recognise that it must play a larger role in protecting the environment.
But she said the ITP needed to be more ambitious, to ensure biodiversity was protected and climate impacts reduced.
"Overall, WWF New Zealand supports the intention of the ITP to transition the fishing industry into a model for how fisheries can be undertaken with minimising environmental impact as a first priority.
"However, it needs to be much more ambitious to achieve this goal and genuinely address the significant environmental impacts of fishing."
The plan is one of the seven ITPs the government committed to after cabinet decisions in February 2019, focused on long-term transformation towards a higher productivity, higher wage, lower emissions economy.
The other sectors were advanced manufacturing, agritech, construction, digital technologies, the food and beverage industry, tourism, and forestry and wood processing.