International interest in NZ fisheries management

12 January 2005

New Zealand's world-leading fisheries management will be in the spotlight tomorrow at an international forum in the USA.

Michael Arbuckle, General Manager of Fisheries Management for the Ministry of Fisheries has been invited to deliver the keynote address at the 'Emerging Strategies for Improving Fisheries Management' conference taking place at Del Mar, California.

"When we brought the quota management system (QMS) in, nearly 20 years ago, it was a revolutionary approach. It has proven integral in New Zealand avoiding the massive over-investment in fishing vessels and over-fishing that has destroyed commercial fisheries in many parts of the world during the last three decades," says Mr Arbuckle.

Ninety-three fish species or species complexes comprising some 550 individual stocks are now managed within the QMS. The commercial fishery is worth more than $1 billion annually to the New Zealand economy and provides direct employment for over 10,000 people.

The Ministry of Fisheries hosts a steady stream of visitors from overseas eager to learn more about the QMS and there is international interest in New Zealand's fisheries management strategies.