Category Archives: Article

George Clement is without a doubt an icon within the New Zealand seafood industry. His accomplishments are countless. None more famous than placing New Zealand on the world map as one of the best-managed deepwater fisheries in the world. But there are a few lesser-known yet equally interesting facts about George Clement few may know…

Please find all references from Deepwater Group's Submission to the Environment Select Committee here in response to the Petition Report by Deep Sea Conservation Coalition and its member groups (Save deep sea corals – ban bottom trawling on seamounts) .

Albert Times - special edition

In celebration of World Albatross Day on Saturday 19 June, we have dusted off the Albert Times and published this special edition.
To read the full edition, and to go in the...

Republished from SeafoodSource.com.
A global movement to create additional marine protected areas (MPAs) has been steadily gaining traction in recent years, with the initiative picking up milestone victories in the past few months.
In January, newly inaugurated U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order committing to a “30 by 30” goal, whereby the United States would designated 30 percent of its land and territorial waters to conservation by the year 2030. The move heightened the potential that MPAs will be used as a tool to tackle climate change.

Richard O'Driscoll, NIWA's Chief Scientist for Fisheries, calmly and clearly lays out the flaws in Seaspiracy and reiterates the science that goes into making New Zealand’s fisheries one of the most sustainable in the world.

The latest Status of our Fish Stocks, as assessed annually by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), shows New Zealand’s sustainability credentials are holding up globally. Some 91 percent of all assessed commercial catch has no sustainability issues according to the latest science. And what that means, is the other nine percent is actively being rebuilt through catch limit reductions or closures, as they were found to be below an acceptable level.

With misinformation on seafood at an all-time high right now, it is more important than ever to spread as widely as possible the truth about the sustainability of New Zealand fisheries and the environmental care that is going into protecting our marine space.

New Zealand has a robust and strictly enforced Quota Management System (QMS) which was designed to ensure our fisheries are sustainable and the wider aquatic environment protected. The QMS is a global success story. Some New Zealand fisheries were once overfished and most have recovered to levels where they can be sustainably used. Orange roughy is a great example of this and is now independently certified as sustainable and healthy by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Ray Hilborn and his colleagues at Sustainable Fisheries UW have set up a scientific resource library on their website to combat misinformation and to explain the science of sustainable seafood. In this 3,000-word point-by-point scientific rebuttal to Seaspiracy, they dive into the science and data. Basically, most of the filmmakers' claims come from very old, outdated studies and/or egregious misunderstandings.

A report on a review into New Zealand’s fisheries management “The future of commercial fishing in Aotearoa New Zealand” was released on 24 March 2021. This report was compiled by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Prof Dame Juliet Gerrard and an expert panel comprised of representatives from commercial fisheries, fisheries research organisations and NGOs. It provides a suite of recommendations designed to chart a course for New Zealand commercial fisheries into the future.

For those inspired by stories of the Kraken, here’s one for you.
This five-kilo beast was recently brought aboard the FV Independent while mid-water trawling for arrow squid at the Snares.

For those inspired by stories of the Kraken, here’s one for you.
This five-kilo beast was recently brought aboard the FV Independent while mid-water trawling for arrow squid at the Snares.

For those inspired by stories of the Kraken, here’s one for you.
This five-kilo beast was recently brought aboard the FV Independent while mid-water trawling for arrow squid at the Snares.

Skipper of the month - Elle Kibblewhite

Published: 25 July 2018

Elle Kibblewhite has plenty of sea-faring achievements to her name. At 16, Elle began working with her Dad, Richard, cray fishing and set netting on Splashzone 2 during the summer. She also gained her commercial electrician’s trade certificate.

more...

Skipper of the Month - Stephan Fridell

Published: 27 June 2018

After 40 days at sea and even longer away from his family, just moments after setting foot on dry land, Skipper Stephan Fridell received just what every Dad would be longing for – a huge bear hug from his two children....

Sage wants NZ sea lion decline reversed

Comment | Scientists challenge sea lion research

From The New Zealand Herald 23 October 2017

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11935905

A new study by Dr Stefan Meyer from the University of Otago, published in the NZ Heraldrecently, claimed to have "game-changing" new evidence linking the decline of New Zealand sea lions to...

The story of New Zealand orange roughy:  From the “poster child” of unsustainable fishing to Marine Stewardship Council assessment.

By P.L. Cordue and originally published on CFOOD. Published: 9 December 2016 In the late 1970s, a “huge” new fisheries resource was discovered in deep water on the north Chatham Rise. In the early days, there was somewhat...

Marine biodiversity needs more than protection

To sustain the seas, advocates of marine protected areas and those in fisheries management must work together, not at cross purposes, urges Ray Hilborn.

Reposted from Nature Magazine, 13 July 2016

On 1 September, government leaders, directors of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others will meet in Hawaii...

Most NGO’s assume that Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) are an unmitigated good, with little thought to their impact on the global food system. But, converting large areas of productive fisheries to no-take zones, while appealing to NGO’s, actually may increase global environmental degredation. The reason, says Professor Ray Hilborn in our latest video, is that marine protein...

Nearly a quarter of British children don’t know that haddock is a fish, thinking instead that it is the name of a soccer player. This misconception is almost laughable until one realizes that we are talking about the potential seafood consumers of tomorrow. Unfortunately the misconceptions don’t stop there. In a survey carried out by the...

A new form of commercial fishing - precision seafood harvesting (PSH) - has improved the survival rates for by-catch, scientists involved in the New Zealand project said.The system - which uses a large, flexible PVC liner with specifically sized holes along its length, allows undersized fish to escape before...

It is known to prevent against heart disease and is hailed as the secret to a long, healthy life. Now, researchers have found the Mediterranean diet can help people with depression, too. A study found people who followed the diet were happier, less stressed and reported an improved quality of life compared to those who ate fewer...