New Zealand put fishing boats under camera surveillance. Will it stay the course?
NAPIER/DUNEDIN, Aotearoa New Zealand — In 2016, a scandal engulfed Aotearoa New Zealand’s fisheries regulator. Leaked documents showed that the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) had found, during investigative operations conducted in prior years, systematic illegal discarding of low-value fish as well as other violations, such as failing to report the catch of an endangered […]
New Zealand's fisheries regulator faced a scandal in 2016 when leaked documents revealed systematic illegal discarding of low-value fish and other violations, such as failing to report the catch of an endangered Hector's dolphin, on commercial vessels off the South Island. The controversy questioned the extent of monitoring on fishing vessels when no one was watching.
In response, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) mandated onboard cameras for most of the country's inshore fleet, alongside other forms of electronic monitoring. This move aimed to monitor catch, discards, protected species interactions, and the use of mitigation devices, positioning New Zealand at the forefront internationally in the use of onboard cameras.
As fisheries managers worldwide discuss the use of electronic monitoring as a complement to or even substitute for onboard fisheries observers, collectors of scientific data and rule compliance reports, New Zealand's implementation of the camera system has faced opposition. This includes criticism from Shane Jones, politician overseeing Fisheries New Zealand (FNZ), a branch of MPI.
Jones assumed office following a 2023 general election, as a member of the conservative government, after the rollout of the camera system was already underway.
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