Lobster fishers hope for consultation flexibility

Kate Hesson
Kate Hesson
The Department of Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand have acknowledged Covid-19 is having wide-ranging impacts on the fishing industry, but say it is important the public have an opportunity to be heard to help inform decisions on the network of marine protected areas.

Last week, Otago Rock Lobster Industry Association executive officer Kate Hesson described the timing of the consultation period to consider a huge marine protection area off the region’s coast as "totally inconsiderate".

Doc and Fisheries New Zealand were seeking public feedback on a proposed network of marine protected areas off the southeast coast of Otago. The submission process was advertised on February 17 and submissions close on April 17.

Ms Hesson said members’ livelihoods were being complicated by the market chaos of the effects of Covid-19, and she believed there was not enough time to have an informed process.

Ms Hesson wrote to Doc director-general Lou Sanson when the consultation was announced, asking for a postponement.

When asked for comment, Doc planning director Natasha Hayward said the department acknowledged the concerns raised by the association and would be providing a response to it.

The two-month consultation period for proposed marine reserves was required under the Marine Reserves Act.

Fisheries New Zealand also adopted a two-month timeframe for consulting on the proposed Type 2 marine protected areas under the Fisheries Act, to enable co-ordinated consultation on the network of marine protected areas, she said.

Last year, the Ministers of Fisheries and Conservation announced their intention to consult on the proposed network, which is one of two options put forward by the South-East Marine Protection Forum in 2018 for marine protection for the region.

The South-East Marine Protection Forum (made up of representatives from Kai Tahu commercial and recreational fishers, tourism, science, the environmental sector and the broader community) consulted on 20 sites for possible inclusion in a marine protected area network, and recommended two alternative networks to the ministers.

In May last year ministers announced that they would like their agencies to progress Network 1 using existing legislation.

The sites that make up the proposed marine protected area network had already been the subject of extensive consultation, she said.

On Friday afternoon, Ms Hesson said she had received a response from Fisheries NZ but not one from Doc.

She believed the consultation process could be postponed, saying it had taken from May last year until February 17 when it was advertised.

 

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