Kia ora Friend,
Call us sticklers, but we'd like our grandkids to see fish in the sea, not just in photographs. That's why it's so important we stand together as Kiwis against this latest "reform" scam from Shane Jones and his pals in the fishing industry.
Reform, by definition, is meant to improve a broken system. It should fix faults and remove incentives to abuse the system while introducing innovative ideas. But the Minister's so-called fisheries "reforms" barely scratches the surface. Instead, it's more of the same: propping up corporate quota owners and allowing destructive practices like bottom trawling, purse seining, and dredging to continue. We would like to be surprised, but who are we kidding - he was always going to do this.
In an interview with Duncan Garner last week, Shane Jones made it clear that the proposals seek to entrench the status quo to "ensure that the Quota System.. remains the basis of managing commercial fisheries". The Quota Management System serves to only benefit quota owners. It leaves small-scale commercial fishers and Kiwis in the dust. As long as we maintain the status quo, the Quota Management System will dictate the way our fisheries are managed,fish populations will continue to decline andNew Zealanders will continue to lose access to our fisheries, because they are all gone.
A real reform would put the ocean's health and Kiwi communities first. That means phasing out destructive, bulk-harvest methods, ending the quota monopoly that keeps big players on top, and enable small scale fishers to make a decent living by selling fresh fish to their local community.
Meaningful reform would recognise the value of sustaining marine life for the benefit of future generations - a Kiwi birthright.
This isn't rocket science. We know how to fix it. The government's "reforms" fail to tackle the real issues and instead prioritises profit for a few private entities. They're a swing and a miss.
Our fisheries could thrive if we just shift toward selective, lower-impact methods, empower local commercial fishers, and prioritise feeding New Zealanders rather than prioritising exporting our delicious fish to other countries.