The Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) focuses on initiatives to strengthen the environmental performance of New Zealand's commercial fisheries, increase the value created from fishing and support people in the industry and local communities.
WWF-New Zealand would like to see the fishing industry prioritising ocean health and sustainability over short-term capital gains. Aotearoa New Zealand has immense potential to be a global leader in sustainable fisheries management, utilising modern innovation and technology. To achieve this, the fishing industry needs to be managed by an ecosystem-based approach that preserves the mauri of our ocean. New Zealander’s cherish the intrinsic values and not just the extrinsic values of our ocean and we need to conserve our ocean for future generations.
Sustainable fisheries are a key area of focus for our work here in Aotearoa and a priority of Fisheries NZ. Therefore, we see the Draft Fisheries Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) as an opportunity for some major actions towards that common goal.
The draft in its current state is a step in the right direction but misses some opportunities to genuinely transform New Zealand’s fishing industry for the better. All the actions that fall under “strengthening environmental performance” are critical to address. However, the actions within this section are overall vague and not sufficient enough to secure and maintain long-term sustainability.
In our submission on the Draft ITP we offer some high-level points of how to improve these actions to truly transform New Zealand fisheries to better preserve our marine environments.
Download the full submission below.