Submissions

NZ Sport Fishing Council – LegaSea engagement

Introduction

Being an island nation, New Zealanders benefit from having abundant fisheries and a healthy marine environment.

Affiliated members of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and a growing list of LegaSea supporters have an interest in a broad range of marine life, ecosystems and fisheries. Interests in fisheries range from seaweeds and baitfish to the large pelagics that seasonally visit our shores.

To protect and promote our members’ and supporters’ interests, the Council submits in response to fisheries management proposals, policy discussions and marine protection initiatives. Through LegaSea the Council now works with a number of organisations, Marae, fishing business interests and regional groups to develop submissions and papers. 

Collectively, we are committed to ensuring that sustainability measures and management controls are designed and implemented to achieve the Purpose and Principles, sections 8 to 10, of the Fisheries Act 1996. 

Section 8(1) of the Act is –

“The purpose of this Act is to provide for the utilisation of fisheries resources while ensuring sustainability”. 

Section 8 (2) reads – 

“In this Act – ensuring sustainability means – 

1. maintaining the potential of fisheries resources to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations; and
2. avoiding, remedying, or mitigating any adverse effects of fishing on the aquatic environment

utilisation means conserving, using, enhancing, and developing fisheries resources to enable people to provide for their social, economic and cultural wellbeing.”

Further information

The option4 website has extensive information and details of submissions which have been jointly made with NZSFC participation and agreement, up to and including 2011. www.option4.co.nz/Fisheries_Mgmt/index.htm