INTRODUCTION

1. This Initial Position Paper (IPP) provides you with the Ministry of Fisheries’ (MFish) initial position on those sustainability measures and other management controls that MFish is reviewing for the October 2006 -07 fishing year.A separate IPP will be subsequently released for those issues that require a regulation or Order-in-Council. Should Ministerial agreement on these latter issues be obtained, these will be scheduled for implementation on 1 April 2007.
   
2. This IPP has been developed for the purpose of consultation as required under the Fisheries Act 1996 (the Act). MFish emphasises the views and recommendations outlined in each paper are preliminary and are provided as a basis for consultation with stakeholders.
   
3. Each paper has regard to the legal obligations required under the Act. MFish does not intend to use the IPP, and the consideration of proposals contained within it, to debate in full its generic statutory interpretations. The section of the IPP that discusses generic statutory interpretations should guide the reader when interpreting each of the individual papers.
   
4. Initial positions in each paper consider recent research, analysis of commercial and non-commercial catch data, and any other relevant information.
   
5. A further source of information is drawn from the fishery assessment plenary (the plenary report’) held in May 2006. Between February and April 2006 FisheryAssessment Working Groups review the available fishery research and catch data for all Quota Management System (QMS) fishstocks and for other important non-QMS species. These scientific working groups involve MFish staff, other research providers, and commercial and non-commercial sector group representatives.
   
6. The fishery assessments for each species were summarised in draft working group reports, and those with substantive changes from the preceding year were critically reviewed in the meeting of the fishery assessment plenary. The plenary report contains the final agreed working group reports for each species.
   
7. The individual papers within the IPP present and analyse information with the aim of focusing each paper on fisheries management outcomes. In particular, the body of the advice places an emphasis on analysis and application of the facts to the issues that need to be addressed. Most technical information, including information from stock assessments, has been att ached as an Appendix to each paper.
   
8. This introduction is immediately followed by the statutory interpretation and policy guidelines. This provides the Minister with the context under which he must make his decisions, and explains his legal obligations, including the bounds within which he must act.
   
9. The first section of the IPP concerns fishstocks for review. For each fish stock there is an outline of the key issues to be considered, rationale for proposed management options and some preliminary recommendations for the management of the stock in the 2006–07 fishing year. The fish stocks reviewed in this document include paua (PAU 5A), orange roughy (ORH 1 and ORH 3B), and rig (SPO 7). This document also includes an industry proposal on alfonsino (BYX 1). The MFish IPP on BYX 1 is scheduled to be sent out on 1 July 2006.
   
10. In addition, catch limits for several stocks introduced into the Quota Management System in 1998 and 1999 are reviewed. This includes cardinalfish, frostfish, ghost shark, rubyfish, ribaldo, sea perch and white warehou.
    
11. The second section outlines proposals to review four conversion factors
    
12. In August 2006, MFish will compile the Final Advice Paper. This document summarises MFish and stakeholder views on those issues being reviewed, and provides final advice and recommendations for each issue. Copies of the Final Advice Paper and subsequently the Minister’s letter setting out his final decisions will be sent to all nationally represented stakeholder groups, and all other stakeholders who expressed an interest in being consulted on particular proposals, as soon as it becomes available.
    

Deadline for submissions

13. All written submissions on this consultation document must be received by MFish by Friday 31 July 2006.
    
14. Written submissions should be sent directly to:
    Kristin Philbert,
    Ministry of Fisheries,
    P O Box 1020,
    Wellington;
    
    or faxed to 04 470-2669
    or emailed to kristin.philbert@fish.govt.nz
    
    
    
15. All submissions are subject to the Official Information Act and ca n be released, if requested, under the Act. If you have specific reasons for wanting to have your submission withheld, please set out your reasons in the submission. MFish will consider those reasons when making any assessment for the release of submissions if requested under the Official Information Act.