QMS failure series #2 - Fishers versus slipper skippers

When did you last buy fresh fish straight off the boat, from the person who caught it? In a country surrounded by sea, water-to-wharf-to-plate ought to be an everyday experience. In 2026, it's a rarity.

Rare because many local fishers are extinct and fishing operations in small ports and regional communities have closed. Business has moved closer to the cities where the fish are processed and exported. This is a result of 40 years of the Quota Management System (QMS).

🤔 Quick fact

In 1986, there were more than 6,000 registered commercial fishing boats. The most recent data shows there are now less than 1200 boats. 

The landlord model 

Today, many of the remaining inshore fishers are dependent on leasing catching rights, known as Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE), from quota owners who never go to sea: slipper skippers. 

These slipper skippers demand the catch and determine the port price paid to the fisher. Some fishers report receiving just $4 a kilo for snapper that sells in shops for more than $50 per kilo.

High lease costs and low port prices force a numbers game: catch as much as you can, as cheaply as possible. For ACE fishers, this makes it hard to earn a living wage from long lining and selling fish locally.

The system rewards volume over value. That's why low-cost, destructive bulk harvesting fishing methods such as bottom trawling have become the norm.

Iceland introduced a quota system about the same time as New Zealand, and the same pattern arose. The difference is that Iceland responded. They set aside catching rights for small-boat, low-impact coastal fishing, thereby supporting the long-term health of fish stocks and keeping regional communities alive.

In Aotearoa, some quota owner-operator families have done well under the QMS. We want more families to succeed in fishing. We need a system that respects the fish and benefits those on the water doing the hard mahi. 

We would all benefit from an alternative system that encourages small-scale, artisanal fishers to sell fresh fish locally, at an affordable price. 

Want to learn more? Look out for our article next week as we dive into more reasons why the QMS ought to be replaced with a more innovative system.

Quick facts about the QMS

🦑 What is a slipper skipper?

A slipper skipper is a quota owner who never goes to sea and collects profits without ever touching the water. Instead of fishing themselves, they lease their catching rights to the fishers who do the hard work.

🦑 Why can't we buy fresh fish straight off fishers' boats?

Under the Quota Management System, many inshore fishers lease their catching rights from quota owners, on the condition that they must sell their catch back to that quota owner. This leaves fishers little freedom to sell directly to the public. Unless they have a special permit, they can only sell up to 10 kilos of fish per day from their vessel.

🦑  Would replacing the Quota Management System make fish more expensive?

Unlikely, because fishers will be able to sell their fish directly to the public without having to pay lease costs to the quota landlord.

Under the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council's and LegaSea's alternative policy, Rescue Fish, Ika Rauora, fish could become more affordable for everyday Kiwis. This is because it would remove quota ownership, which currently takes a cut before fish reach your plate. Commercial fishers would no longer pay rent to quota owners or be locked into a fixed price for their catch. Over time, Rescue Fish also aims to put more fish back in the water. More fish in our coastal waters means fish will be easier to catch, using less fuel.

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