BPAs and MPAs – Is There a Difference? New Zealand’s Benthic Protection Areas (BPAs) are internationally-recognised as a type of Marine Protected Area (MPA).  The IUCN recognises seven categories of MPAs and BPAs meet Category VI. Pew and WWF-NZ have asked the Government to ignore the existence of BPAs as…

OpenSeas answers your questions simply OpenSeas continues to attract more and more users each month as the single source of reliable information on New Zealand’s key commercial fish species. At the end of its first year, the site continues to generate over 85 percent new visitors each month, with 60…

Deepwater Group's letter to New Zealand Marine Sciences Society (NZMSS) on why New Zealand's Benthic Protection Areas are internationally-recognised as Marine Protected Areas: "Dear Nick, We write in response to the email you distributed this week to the NZMSS members on behalf of WWF-NZ. We ask that NZMSS provides the…

MSC validates New Zealand seafood sustainability With seventeen New Zealand fisheries recertified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in September, some 50 percent of New Zealand’s wild marine catch now holds this gold standard of sustainability. Only 12 percent of the world’s wild-caught seafood has MSC certification and…

Fisheries New Zealand sustainability round This year’s sustainability round, announced by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash last week, saw 11 catch limits increase and 12 decrease. A decrease in catch has very real consequences for fishing families and should not be taken lightly, however we must be prepared to act when…