Enforcing Fisheries Policies

The Ministry delivered a range of enforcement operations and other compliance activities throughout the year. The profile of the Ministry’s enforcement and compliance activities was raised with the support of the Television New Zealand series, Coastwatch, which highlighted some of the work of fishery officers. The show was well received with up to 750,000 viewers tuned in each week. It led to increased public awareness of offending and the issues faced by fishery officers in the course of executing their duties.

The Ministry continues to support fishers and fishery officers through the publication and distribution of quality signs, brochures and other educational products. This material plays an important role in encouraging compliance and is an essential part of a fishery officer’s field kit.

Emphasis has been given to improving the capability of fishery officers’ field operations. Additional funding was provided to address concerns for the safety of fishery officers operating in the field. The funding enabled an increase in the number of fishery officers operating from more remote offices, such as Kaitaia, Hamilton, Whitianga, and Masterton.

A new office was opened in Blenheim to enable improved compliance services to the Marlborough and Kaikoura areas and to provide improved support to honorary fishery officers. A full-time health and safety coordinator was appointed during the year, and the quality and quantity of fishery officer training in defensive tactics increased.

The need for the provision of defensive equipment to fishery officers was the subject of comprehensive analysis and consideration.

Funding for developing a national radio communications network to support the operational safety of fishery officers will enable officers to obtain real-time information about potential offenders and assist operational efficiency and effectiveness.

Honorary fishery officers continued to play a crucial role in the education and enforcement of recreational rules. The capability of those officers to operate safely and effectively has increased with the introduction of additional training, improved equipment, and increased direct support in the field from fishery officers.

The Ministry successfully detected and prosecuted offending throughout the fisheries sector during the year, while maintaining its effort to support the prosecutions that arose from the covert Operation Pacman in 2002.

The Ministry continued to perform well in relation to prosecutions, with 90% of people charged with fisheries regulation offences successfully prosecuted. Although high at 86%, the rate of successful prosecutions of people charged with Fisheries Act offences was lower than in previous years. A technical error in section 233 of the Fisheries Act 1996 resulted in the dismissal of charges against a number of defendants identified during Operation Pacman. The error was promptly rectified by legislative amendment during the year.

Cooperation between agencies continues to improve operational effectiveness. Enforcement operations are regularly supported by members of the New Zealand Police.

The Ministry participated in boarding operations from Royal New Zealand Navy vessels when available throughout the year and the Royal New Zealand Air Force provided aerial surveillance of the New Zealand fisheries waters and New Zealand territories, such as the Ross Sea. The Ministry contributes to the operation of the National Maritime Co-ordination Centre and the Maritime Intelligence Co-ordination Centre.

The Ministry also continued to invest in projects directed at building New Zealand’s maritime patrol and aerial surveillance capability, including the support of major defence acquisition projects.