New Zealand East Coast fishermen are supporting a NZ Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) plan to add albacore tuna to the quota management system.
Robin Hapi, CEO of Aotearoa Fisheries Ltd, which owns Moana Pacific Fisheries Ltd in Napier, said the company would be making submissions on the plan before the February 24 cut- off date.
â€We don’t have any objection to the concept of bringing further species into the quota management system, providing it’s done sensibly,†Mr. Hapi said.
Sustainability was the key to the system he said, although he was yet to see the details of the proposal.
An MFish consultation document, dated December 22 but only released this week, promotes including albacore into the quota system from October 1, 2007.
If Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton signs off the proposal, quota will be allocated on catch history between October 1, 2000, and September 30, 2002. But Westfleet Fisheries manager Damien Briggs said that was the worst possible timeframe for West Coast fishermen and they would be heavily penalized if it went ahead.
â€In 2000, we had a great season but it ended in April. The next season was a really poor one and the 2002 one was not much better. Starting it from October 2000 is unfair,†he said.
â€Why not go back to 1999-2000 when we had a good year? It’s a stupid proposal. Why put a quota on us when it’s a migratory species and a no-one else in the world has any restrictions on it?â€
Moves to add albacore tuna to the quota system were driven by fishermen who wanted to get out of the industry “to make a quick bob†by selling off quota. It should be kept as a species that any registered fisherman could chase, he said.