Fisheries management can be a complex subject. To help you understand the issues we have developed a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that will hopefully simplify the subject matter. We will be publishing some of them in our campaign updates, but you can see them all on the Rescue Fish website here.
If you have a particular question you would like to ask, you can ask it here.
Q. What is fleet separation and why is it important?
A. Fleet separation is when fishing permits will only be issued to people who commercially fish. There is no absentee ownership.
Under Rescue Fish there will be fleet separation to protect and encourage small-scale, artisanal fishing in the inshore zone.
Under Rescue Fish there can be no private sales of fishing permits or any fishing authority issued by the Government.
Fleet separation is important because:
1. It means that investors, corporates and processing facilities cannot buy or aggregate fishing permits then lease them to those who go fishing.
2. Supports owner-operators to fish and sell their catch for the best returns, increasing the overall value of the fishery.
3. It decentralises commercial fishing effort, encouraging local participation in small scale fishing operations, job opportunities and promoting regional economies.
4. Helps to discourage inefficient investment in fishing and effort.
Fleet separation is effective in other countries such as the Faroe Islands and the Atlantic fisheries of Canada. It is particularly helpful in fisheries where there is a small scale fleet competing with large, industrial, bulk harvesting operations.
Canadian commentary on fleet separation here
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Q. Where does the Rescue Fish policy data come from?
A. In the development of the Rescue Fish policy every effort was made to use data only from reputable sources and readily available. This was to enable people to fact check claims made in the Rescue Fish policy.
References to fish stock status, commercial catches and estimates of recreational harvest were sourced from Fisheries New Zealand Fisheries Assessment Reports, Plenary and annual reports.
When data was not readily available expert advice was sought. For example, prior to publication the draft Rescue Fish policy was given to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research for their review and opinion. The outcome of their review is encapsulated in the report, They that go down to the sea in ships.