A last-minute change to the Fisheries Amendment Bill to remove minimum size rules on several popular species for commercial fishers is rocking the boat ahead of its first reading in Parliament.
If passed, commercial companies would be able to sell undersized fish such as snapper, terakihi and blue moki.
Recreational fisher Hamish Clayton called the proposal "crazy" and spoke to his MP today to register his opposition to the change.
He was concerned it would not allow fish to reach sexual maturity to reproduce, which would have a detrimental impact on future populations.
He acknowledged it would be a waste if undersized fish were caught and died without being able to be sold, but said the new proposal opened the door to allowing unselective fishing methods to continue.
The controversial changes to fishing in NZ waters - Watch on TVNZ+
However, Seafood NZ said the finer details were critical to the debate. For example, if an observer was present and there was evidence the fish would survive, they must be returned to the water.
Chief executive Lisa Futschek said commercial fishers would have to pay for catching smaller fish, something they didn't need to do previously.
"This change is designed to reduce waste and strengthen incentives to avoid catching small fish. In addition, there is little to no market for smaller fish, which further discourages their capture."
She said the changes built on the 2022 amendments to the Fisheries Act and had been consulted on multiple times since then, with the main aim of the industry being to avoid unnecessary waste. It says this is not about creating a market for small fish.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet press conference on Monday, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones said he expected the bill to be "hotly debated" when it reached select committee, and was confident it would pass its first reading.
"I have no doubt, also in my mind, that our coalition Government will pass this bill."
Fines for camera leaks
Further details revealed the proposal for a $50,000 fine for anyone found leaking onboard camera footage, adding to an earlier suggestion that aimed to stop footage from being publicly released in any form, including via Official Information Act requests.
Requests could still be made for data extracted from footage.
These late changes were among a raft of sweeping reforms that Fisheries Minister said were the biggest overhaul of fisheries rules since the quota system was introduced in 1986.
They included proposals such as allowing more flexible rules around dumping fish at sea, allowing catch limits to be carried over from one year to the next and restricting the ability of the public to challenge catch decisions.
After the first reading, the public and commercial entities will have an opportunity to have their say on the bill during the select committee stage.
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