Pacific

NZ Pacific Ambassador wants fishing surveillance step up

19:34 pm on 24 June 2014

New Zealand's Pacific Economic Ambassador says his country needs to work closely with the United States to assist Pacific nations to monitor distant water nations fishing in the Pacific.

Shane Jones says he attended the Our Oceans Conference in the US last week, where he says Murray McCully lay down the law to larger nations on their contribution to depleting fish stocks.

The US President announced the US will expand its non-fishing zones by over seven times, and Palau and Kiribati also said they were expanding their own marine reserves.

While US scientists have criticised the move and say current boundaries are sufficient, Mr Jones says it is pointless to announce large no-fishing zones, without the technology to police them.

"They're all very well and good, but who's going to guard them? How can you be confident that unscrupulous fleet owners won't just drag through those areas. Without a doubt that is an area where America and New Zealand have perfected technology."

New Zealand's Pacific Economic Ambassador Shane Jones.