Update #4 – Minister in thrall to commercial interests?

For New Zealand Fishing News magazine, issue November 2011

It was a feature of the recent management proposals that the Ministry of Fisheries were offering commercial shareholders perpetual catching rights that previously belonged to the public. Cuts were proposed to overall allowances and/or daily bag limits while commercial catch limits were being either maintained or cut merely “to remove potential catch headroom”. This is double jeopardy for public fishing interests.