Setting standards for fisheries
Part of the fisheries plan work has
been developing government-set standards for managing fisheries.
These standards will set limits in
areas such as biomass targets and limits for harvest rates, seabird
by-catch (when seabirds are accidentally caught during fishing) and
disturbing the seabed. Fishers will be managed within these limits.
Standards for consultation and research
are also being set.
These standards will make things
clearer around how fisheries management decisions are made. They
should make it easier for tangata whenua and stakeholders to take
part in the process of managing our fisheries.
The idea is that if people understand
the way fisheries management works, they’ll be more likely to
contribute their information and opinions. This will make it easier
for the Ministry of Fisheries to make decisions and recommendations
to the Minister of Fisheries.
How fisheries plans are grouped
There are more than 600 fish stocks in
the QMS, but writing a fisheries plan for each stock would take too
long.
For fisheries plans, fish stocks have
been grouped into 27 groups so that plans can be developed in a
pragmatic and timely way.
Fish stocks from similar areas that are
caught by similar methods have been grouped together.
For example, the West Coast North
Island Finfish Fisheries Plan covers flatfish, grey mullet, ha-puku
and bass, kahawai, leatherjacket, red gurnard, rig, spotted dogfish,
school shark, snapper, tarakihi and trevally.Information on
fisheries plans can be found on the MFish website.