Who really is Shane Jones? He often refers to himself as "Matua Shane". Well he isn't our matua. Jones is a walking advertisement for the commercial fishing industry, which isn't surprising considering his history as ex-chairman of Sealord and ties to political donations from large commercial fishing companies.
Quota owners wishlist for changes to the Fisheries Act is not new. In fact it's been in the works for the past 13 months since they now have a compliant Minister who is willing to erode public consultation and bury incriminating footage of fish dumping to 'maximise profits'.
If Jones were truly the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, you'd think he'd at least pretend to care about marine health. Instead, his plan helps maximise commercial catch by weakening constraints on commercial fishing, and granting wide powers to himself - the Minister.
It is unacceptable for a minor party to be facilitating a massive transfer of public benefits and governance powers to private quota owners.
Let's just call this what it is: regulatory capture in full view, where those who are meant to be governed are instead steering the ship. If we don't push back now, we'll have no one but ourselves to blame when the fish are gone and the control remains firmly in the hands of a privileged few.
Fisheries reform? It's more of a scam.
Stay Tuned…
Hot off the press, our newsletter last week received some great responses, with many of you keen to help oppose the proposed changes so thank you for your support.
We are still picking apart the proposals and how they will impact the future of our fishing and marine environment. So far, the 71-paged document looks, feels, and smells like a fast-track Bill for quota owners to increase catch limits.
Public consultation is open until March 28 so keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for more information on the proposed changes and how you can speak up.
In the meantime, we need your support. Share this newsletter with your friends, family, neighbours to let them know what's happening and encourage them to subscribe to receive our upcoming LegaSea newsletters.
Or even better, you can donate to LegaSea if you're in a position to spare some cash to help us oppose the Minister's proposed changes.
Click here to read, watch or listen to more on this issue.
- Last weeks newsletter
- Fisheries reforms prioritise industry over public interest
- Pressure on crayfish set to rise in Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty