July 19, 2019
LegaSea’s fishy story fails smell test
The Māori Fisheries Settlement Trust is rejecting a call from a recreational fishing lobby group to scrap the quota management system.
LegaSea, which was set up by the NZ Sports Fishing Council, says the 30-year-old QMS has failed to restore fish stocks and failed those depending on fisheries, including Māori.
Te Ohu Kaimoana chief executive Dion Tuuta says in fact Māori now own more than 30 percent of New Zealand's commercial quota, and the benefits that have grown from the Māori Fisheries Settlements have formed the foundation of the modern Māori economy.
He says it's kaitiakitanga in action at a national level.
"It's a very sophisticated way of managing fisheries by setting sustainable catch limits. For commercial fisheries, it allocates the right to catch that fish through quota, which Māori own at least 30 percent of , and it avoids a race for fish that has destroyed fisheries all around the world," Mr Tuuta says.
The certainty created by the quota management system and the recovering fish stocks is what allowed Sealord to invest more than $70 million in a new fishing vessel.
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