People are able to realise the best value from the sustainable and efficient use of fisheries

Recognising the nature of value

Best overall value is achieved when fisheries resources are used by those who obtain the most value from them. To obtain the overall best value from the use of fisheries the Ministry must recognise the full range of values and understand how they are generated. This value is generated in many ways. It includes value gained from a thriving seafood industry; from the pleasure of fishing for recreation; and from customary fisheries. Value is also gained from non-extractive uses such as viewing fisheries in a healthy aquatic environment.

Value is not limited to the present generation. If we do not manage how much fish can be harvested today, then future generations may have fewer species available to them. At the same time, reducing the number of fish caught now could mean fewer jobs in the fishing industry.

Achieving best value within each fishing sector

In the commercial sector, scarcity of resources is managed by rationing access through the QMS. In the QMS individuals can choose their level of access and adjust their access by trading quota shares or catch entitlements. Those who value commercial fishing rights most are expected to buy them from those who are unable to generate as much value from them. Trading allows investment to flow to the most valuable use within the commercial sector.

In the recreational sector, the amount of fish actually taken by the sector depends on the number of people fishing and how often they fish. Individual daily bag limits and restrictions on the use of bulk fishing methods help to control the amount of fish taken.

In the customary sector, the level of access is managed by kaitiaki and depends on the number and type of authorisations granted to take fish for customary purposes.

Specifying limits within which each fishing sector can maximise value

Whether access is allocated by a market, or through government decision, it is important that fishers operate within the limits of their allocation. Allowing people to exceed the limits encourages others to do the same and reduces incentives to co-operate and invest in increasing the value obtained from a fishery. As with environmental standards, for an allocation standard to be effective there must be appropriate incentives and penalties to motivate fishers to keep within the limits.

The government's ability to manage the level of access allocated to the recreational and customary sectors is limited by the lack of accurate, timely information on the amount of fish taken.

Achieving best value across fisheries sectors

To achieve overall best value from fisheries resources, there needs to be the ability to transfer some rights to use the resources.

There is currently no mechanism by which stakeholders can adjust levels of access to fisheries resources across sectors. Instead, transfers can only be achieved through government allocation decisions. Unless and until mechanisms are put in place for stakeholders to have a greater role in determining levels of access for their sector, the government will need to make allocation decisions.

Information on the value of fisheries to the customary and recreational sectors is generally poor, which makes allocation decisions more difficult. It is hoped that the strategy of increasing stakeholder's involvement in fisheries management will encourage stakeholders to provide more information on how they value fisheries.

Providing opportunities to increase value

Opportunities to increase value from fisheries can come from increasing the benefits obtained from fishing, or by reducing costs. The Ministry believes that stakeholders are well placed to identify how benefits from fishing can be increased and costs reduced. Therefore, the Ministry believes stakeholders should have an increased role in developing management strategies, interventions and services for fisheries. Government can help by getting sectors to talk to each other to develop best value strategies and by ensuring management measures are linked to clear objectives.

The Ministry can also contribute to initiatives to increase the value that fishers obtain from the fishery. Examples include the reduction and removal of international trade barriers, and facilitating development of sector growth strategies. The Ministry will become involved in these activities particularly where only the government can undertake certain roles, for instance when representing New Zealand's interests at international multilateral trade negotiations.

Protecting value

Value to a sector may be reduced where non-fishing activity reduces the benefit to the fisher, either in the short term or long-term. The Ministry's role here is to develop, along with other government agencies, a framework that allows the tradeoffs to be resolved for greatest overall benefit.

The table on the following page sets out the Ministry's role in achieving this contributing outcome and the work that we will do over the next few years to get to that point.

The right side of the table indicates which outputs in the output plan later in this SOI will have responsibility for undertaking the specific work elements involved in the programme to support achievement of the outcomes.

People are able to realise the best value from the sustainable and efficient use of fisheries - work plan			Linkage to Outputs
Ministry Role	Strategies	Detailed Work Elements	Fisheries Policy	Fisheries Information	Fisheries Operations	Fisheries Compliance	Aquaculture Settlement
Recognising the nature of value	Developing our understanding of the full range of values able to be gained from the use of fisheries resources	Undertaking and facilitating socio-economic research to identify options available to realise value from extractive and non-extractive uses
		Developing methodology for identifying and gathering information on current and potential value
		Undertaking and facilitating socio-economic research regarding value, especially in the recreational and customary fisheries sectors
Enabling best value to be realised within each fishing sector	Maintaining and developing systems that can facilitate investment and trading of access rights within the commercial fishing sector	Operating QMS frameworks
		Reviewing TAC/TACCs and fisheries utilisation measures
		Operating deemed value catch balancing system
		Monitoring delivery of devolved and contracted registry services
		Introducing fish stocks into the QMS
	Ensuring obligations set out in Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992 are met	Meeting obligations with respect to the introduction of new species in to the QMS
		Giving effect to customary fishing regulations - appointment of kaitiaki
	Ensuring obligations set out in the Māori Commercial Aquaculture Claims Settlement Act 2004 are met	Continuing to quantify 'pre-commencement' water space
		Establishing a settlement assets register
		Ensuring delivery of aquaculture water space or equivalent
		Commencing preparaton of a plan describing the Crown's performance in meeting settlement obligation by 2008
	Ensuring obligations set out in individual historical settlement legislation, deeds of settlement, and heads of agreement are met with respect to fisheries
Specifying limits within which each fishing sector can maximise value	Setting standards that define the acceptable level of risk within which fishers can extract value from the use of fisheries resources	Setting standards to manage catch per year, or other period
		Setting standards to manage methods of fishing, seasons and areas
		Setting standards to manage the provision of information about fishing activity and catch
		Setting standards to manage product flow by fishers, marine farmers, fish receivers and processors
Achieving compliance with access standards set for fishing	Encouraging fisher compliance with access standards	Engaging tangata whenua and stakeholders in standard setting and rule making processes
	Encouraging fisher compliance with access standards	Producing information brochures, signage and educational material to inform fishers about their responsibilities, the rules, and the rationale for those rules
	Gathering information required to monitor fisher performance against access standards	Operating catch and effort reporting systems
		Undertaking observation, surveillance and inspection services
		Reviewing coverage of vessel monitoring system in the commercial fleet
		Working with New Zealand Defence Forces and other enforcement agencies
	Ensuring fisher compliance with standards relating to international, commercial, customary and recreational fishing rules	Analysing information to detect general, and specific, non-compliance
		Inspecting fishing boats, gear and catches
	Undertaking enforcement and prosecution action against deliberate serious offending	Targeting poaching and black market activities
		Initiating investigation and where necessary prosecution activity, infringement fee and forfeiture processes
Enabling best value to be realised across fisheries sectors	Ensuring obligations set out in Treaty of Waitangi (Fisheries Claims) Settlement Act 1992 are met	Giving effect to customary fishing regulations - establishment of mātaitai, taiapure and temporary closed areas
	Increasing across-sector value by transferring access in accordance with administrative and statutory processes, procedures and tests	Reviewing TAC/TACCs and fisheries utilisation measures
		Progressing residual marine farming permit applications
		Operating register of aquaculture agreements as required for AMA developments
		Provide advice on marine reserve concurrence requests
	Providing more certainty around processes to adjust the level of access provided to each fisheries sector	Reviewing the management of shared fisheries access and allocations framework
		Undertaking and facilitating socio-economic research to identify options and support tradeoffs made across uses
		Gathering information required to determine the share that each fishing sector has of the total access available
Providing opportunities to increase value	Providing stakeholders with the opportunity to increase value by working collaboratively across fisheries sectors to reach best solutions	Participating in the development of Ministry-led fisheries plans
Providing opportunities to increase value		Maintaining existing commitments to the development of stakeholder led fisheries plans
Protecting and increasing value	Increasing the amount of value realised from fisheries resources by adding to benefits and or reducing costs	Participating in the development of new policy framework initiatives that have the potential to increase benefit gained
		Providing input to development of Oceans Policy
		Reviewing jurisdiction arrangements for management of freshwater fisheries
		Participating in the government growth and innovation framework
		Continuing support to development of aquaculture industry sector strategy
		Reviewing fisheries cost recovery framework
		Progressing the deemed values review as directed
		Participating in the development of Ministry-led fisheries plans
		Maintaining existing commitments to the development of stakeholder-led fisheries plans
	Promoting and protecting New Zealand's international fisheries interests	Securing well defined access rights for New Zealand fishing industry beyond our EEZ
		Continuing to promote multilateral, regional and bilateral engagement and influence
		Continuing development of cooperation arrangements, strategic alliances, capacity building and formal bilaterals
		Undertaking a leadership role in developing mechanisms to address illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing in international fisheries
		Securing international market access for New Zealand fisheries products

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Updated : 16 November 2007