FISHING is now one of the largest contributors to the New Zealand economy, contributing more than $4 billion NZ dollars a year.
This was disclosed by the country's fisheries minister Phil Heatley who said the value of fishing to the nation had risen by 47 per cent since 1996 when they were valued at £2.7 NZ dollars.
And he attributed this impressive increase to sound fishing policy, saying: "This growth in value is directly attributable to New Zealand's effective fisheries management using the quota management system." In fact last year New Zealand's seafood industry was twice ranked the most sustainably managed fishery in the world.
The number of species regulated under the system, introduced in 1986 to manage New Zealand’s fisheries, has risen from 26 in 1996 to 96 in 2009.
The country has a diverse fleet ranging from small boats, to large ships, but aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of its seafood industry, and is the practice of farming finfish and shellfish species in contained environments. The country is also a major exporters, but overseas sales recently have been hit by the volatility of the New Zealand dollar.
In Britain New Zealand is represented by the Sealord Group which has an important processing base near Grimsby and is a major supplier of cod, haddock and other varieties, mainly from Iceland and the south west of Britain to the Waitrose supermarket group.
The top 20 species last year , including hoki, rock lobster, paua, and blue cod, comprised 91 percent of the fish stocks’ total value. Hoki contributed the highest value at $815 million, or 20 percent of the total asset value.
Should fisheries be closed during breeding time to allow stocks to reach more sustainable levels?
