Just announced today .... or about to in ~ 20 minutes!

Jim Anderton is the New Zealand Minister of Fisheries!

:smile:

.. and a CU on the last page.

It looks like some progressive management is actually happening. Stay tuned for more results!

fingers crossed here, senior'!

It's massive!!!! Little guys and the environment won out!

You would have to download the huge powerpoint slide show to see it all, and there's typical industry spin throughout, but congratulations to the industry are warranted. WHerever you see a heavy red line on the attached map WILL(maybe) BE CLOSED TO BOTTOM TRAWLING!! Stippled means extending into international waters.

Go to www.seafood.co.nz
(and wait 30 mins to download)

It's about 30%!! of the EEZ. A lot of it is deep and featureless, but a lot of it is not! First steps! A most excellent start!

8-) :thumbsup:

Cool deal, Steve! Thanks for the heads-up! I'll sticky this to give it top billing.

Update
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3572218a10,00.html

New bottom trawling deal announced
14 February 2006

A draft agreement has been reached with deepwater fishing companies to close more than 30 per cent of New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to bottom trawling, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said today.

[click link above to read entire article]

Congratulations! Amazing that they are willing to take "interim measures" to protect the environment.

congrats, Steve. Hope more good news will follow after these first steps in the right direction!

This is great news. Well done to all those involved in pushing this legislation through.

cool indeed! Let's just hope other nations will follow...

eups

..


. A lot of it is deep and featureless, but a lot of it is not! First steps! A most excellent start!

Good observation! BUT: Apart from the Kermadec/Colville ridge area, which is generally too rocky and rugged to trawl anyway, the areas selected are far beyond the depths capable of being reached by current trawling technology (2+ km deep!) and are among the lowest areas of biomass on the planet (virtual biological desserts). It is massive - the little guys and the environmentalists have been conned and outwitted - I agree, a great start, but it will make it impossible to get any additional protected areas in coastal and offshore reefs in trawlable depths which are at greatest risk!

That's the best Valentine's gift of all!

I agree, a great start, but it will make it impossible to get any additional protected areas in coastal and offshore reefs in trawlable depths which are at greatest risk!

M, a 'little bird' tells me that there is 'ongoing consultation' regarding the NE coast of North Island, which has been specifically excluded from consideration in this first proposal (so we'll not discount the possibility of something happening in that region in the not-too-distant future). The Kermadec closure is undoubtedly the most important of all - the scale of that truly impresses me - it is a staggering concession on the part of the industry. My only comment today, because I have been quoted as saying that "I'll give the fishing industry a day off from criticism" (unusually generous of me; it's probably giving myself a day off more than anything), is that I would have liked to have seen something substantial set aside on the Norfolk & Lord Howe Rise's (mostly in international waters, so not really relevant here), and the Macquarie Ridge/Puysegur Trench region.

The good thing about this is that the industry have shown their cards, and they consider the figure of 30% to be the baseline starting point for negotiation.

I remain a positive chappy. The tide has turned.

Saw this on the news last night and thought you'd be having a celebratory drinkie or two!!

J

:cheers:

It is massive - the little guys and the environmentalists have been conned and outwitted - I agree, a great start, but it will make it impossible to get any additional protected areas in coastal and offshore reefs in trawlable depths which are at greatest risk!

My first reaction exactly (probably formulated more clearly :wink: ). Saw the snippet on the news yesterday after a few episodes of Black Books (so that could be where the grumpiness and cyniscism come from)... showed a different map tho.

It's worth downloading the ppt presentation, there's a lot of nitty-gritty info and heaps of numbers (yay!). Of special interest is the blow-by-blow description of each area to be protected, and the rationale behind the decision. IIRC the news cast mentionned the fact that they are trying to protect untrawled areas. That's great, however it doesn't stop the current problems of permanent damage and stock depletion in NZ waters. I suppose in the long run, it creates a finite limit on the area that can ever be trawled... but everything is linked, food trickles down to the deep, fish and other critters migrate up and down the water column and in and out areas (spawning/feeding)....

As a good little paranoid conspiracy-theorist, i can't help but wonder why the industry, so firmly entrenched for years, has suddenly agreed (have they?) to such drastic closures. Have they realised that the expense of fishing those areas was too great? That the technology to do so wasn't coming fast enough? That it would distract their opponents from the areas they are fishing right now or intend to later? That it's all going down the drain real fast and they better buy themselves a conscience to prepare for reconversion?

... i don't think i'll be sleeping tonight... :goofysca:

TP:yinyang:TH

This is great news! Well done to everyone involved!!
I just hope it has more of an effect than the 1994 cod moratorium for Newfoundland/Grand Banks where there's been pretty much zero improvement to stocks. In my limited understanding of this the question seems to be where or onto which species will the fishing pressure shift to....

Nik

Hi Steve,
Congrats for the news!
Cheers,
muchiika

Look what happens when you go overseas and leave the fishing industry alone for a week Steve O :-)
This is an awesome start, and one that was not really on the cards.

hmmm.... Dear Owen, sorry about the years of..............................
........................................ ............................... Im glad that you have seen the light................................... .....................The steps you have taken are very positive................................ ............


Your Friend: Steve O'Shea

Many congratulations to all people who worked to achieve this. It is definitely a step in the right direction.

Cheers!

"The deal will have a minimal effect on the industry, with less than 1 per cent of the area closed having been trawled previously. . . . It doesn't close where we do fish ....." Mr Barratt (managing director of Sanford and spokesman for the deep-water trawling companies) said.

I will not bite, I will not take the bait, but I know where you are coming from C. My 'few days' of going easy on the fishing industry have stretched into a few weeks - am ever-so-slightly preoccupied with other stuff. Sigh.

"An international team of researchers, led by the University of Aberdeen, revealed that sharks have failed to colonise at depths greater than 3,000 metres, meaning that the deepest oceans of the world appear to be shark free. Scientists do not know why sharks are absent from the deep but suggest one possible reason could be due to lack of food. "
Now what would be a good reason not to trawl in those depths...hhmmmmmm??

I will not bite, I will not take the bait, but I know where you are coming from C. My 'few days' of going easy on the fishing industry have stretched into a few weeks - am ever-so-slightly preoccupied with other stuff. Sigh.

I will not bite, I will not bite, I will not bite, I .....

But yooze sure relayin intrastin stuff wotz almost got me biting! I've got one final week of adminisphere to get over yet ....

Hey, I'll get Matt to forward you an MS. I'm not biting, but others are .....

I was thinking that the industry might be able to use this as leverage later on.
ie, "We have already made consessions, and we are not going to concede any more". Its obviously a good thing, but perhaps it made a full ban more unlikely?
Jim's a good guy, and I think he's definately trying for a full ban, but I dont think the government wants to annoy the industry. Its all very wishy washy as noone wants to go the whole hog.

One thing I thought was weird, the government said it was looking for a possible international ban on BT, but only with other nations support. I was surprised that they didnt think they could go it alone, given our fairly independent mindset. However saying that, we politely complain about "scientific" whaling, but noone(officially) ever steps up and says that is all obviously bollocks.

Ugh politics suck! :grin:

I'm definitely late responding to this, but I haven't been on the computer much for the past few weeks and just got around to reading the original post. Add my congrats to the rest! We don't get much good news on the conservation front, and every little bit helps.

"An international team of researchers, led by the University of Aberdeen, revealed that sharks have failed to colonise at depths greater than 3,000 metres, meaning that the deepest oceans of the world appear to be shark free. Scientists do not know why sharks are absent from the deep but suggest one possible reason could be due to lack of food. "
Now what would be a good reason not to trawl in those depths...hhmmmmmm??


Whilst counting rivets, I did notice that at least one specimen of the species Centroscymnus coelolepis (Portugese dogshark) had been captured at 3675 meters below, so at least they made it that far down...

OK, back to the beer,

Olaf

Stupid my country.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/507091.html

Wow, if Sylvia Earle can't convince him, I don't think you have much hope. Seems like there are a lot of politically active Canadian fisherman out there...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/SC0606/S00041.htm

Fishing industry proposal for Benthic Protection Areas will fail to protect deep sea floor environments

sigh.

Marine Monument (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5083974.stm) :shock:

That's great!

Whilst counting rivets, I did notice that at least one specimen of the species Centroscymnus coelolepis (Portugese dogshark) had been captured at 3675 meters below, so at least they made it that far down...

OK, back to the beer,

Olaf

Hi,

Where did you notice this? I'm interested.

Just found this article. Every little bit helps!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060630/ap_on_sc/protecting_coral_gardens;_ylt=ArMYHdckuT lIfBYRcH..PMgiANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTA3MzV0MTdm BHNlYwM3NTM-

Related to the above article.

http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060626_coral_photos.html

I just got this in my email and thought some of you might be interested:

To: Australian Marine Science Association email forum:

Bottom trawling activities in the deep sea continue to damage vulnerable marine ecosystems.

AMSA's primary focus is on scientific rather than conservation issues, and this is an important strength of the organisation. However, scientists may express legitimate concerns if fishing regimes appear to disregard the requirements of international law and the implications of the best available science.

Given the approaching United Nations examination of the issue, and the extension of marine planning instruments within Australian Commonwealth waters, I believe it may be appropriate to draft another scientists' consensus statement on deep sea bottom trawling.

The AMSA annual conference next week will provide a forum at which such a statement could be discussed - although of course many interested members may not be able to attend. A short presentation on the subject of high seas bottom trawling is planned for 6:10 pm on Tuesday.

Could members who might be interested in either drafting or supporting a statement/letter (possibly to both the Australian Government and the UNGA) please email me?

Jon Nevill
Phone 0422 926 515.

Nelson, Sunday 30 July 2006: Early today, Greenpeace activists locked themselves to a high seas bottom trawler to prevent it from leaving Port Nelson. Four activists boarded the Chang Xing, locking themselves to the mast and other parts of the vessel.

In blocking the Chang Xing's departure, Greenpeace also locked metal braces and a large sculpture of a deep-sea coral to the vessel's stern as a reminder of the deep sea life being destroyed daily by high seas bottom trawlers. They tied a banner to the stern with the words 'The trawl's in your court NZ'.

"We've done what the Government should be doing: taking strong action against bottom trawlers who are destroying unique deep-sea life out in international waters", said Greenpeace oceans campaigner Mike Hagler.
The Rainbow Warrior previously encountered the Chinese bottom trawler, Chang Xing, in international waters of the Tasman Sea in 2004.

Greenpeace exposed the damage caused by dragging heavy bottom trawl nets across the sea floor by filming and photographing the Chang Xing's crew dump large quantities of unwanted species including lantern sharks, squid, deep-sea kina and endangered black coral.

In November this year, the UN will make final decisions about whether to impose a moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters to halt destruction until scientists can document the areas that need protection and governments can develop the ways and means to protect them.

Since the issue was first raised two years ago, a significant number of Governments have come forward to support a moratorium, like the UK, Brazil, Germany and Sweden.

"New Zealand now needs to come forward and live up to our clean, green reputation on the international political stage * we can and we should now support the moratorium."

He pointed out that the UK's Fisheries Minister, Ben Bradshaw, recently told a global conference of marine scientists he wants to see an end to destructive deep-sea bottom trawling, and called on governments to take urgent global action.

A timely incentive for today's Greenpeace action against the Chang Xing came from a UN report released two weeks ago (1), which stated that governments have done nothing to protect deep-sea biodiversity from destructive fishing in international waters.

"The UN's Oceans Division report confirmed what we've known all along," Hagler added: "the survival of the countless species found in the deep sea is jeopardised by bottom trawlers like the Chang Xing. This gives New Zealand the opportunity to follow our own policies for biodiversity protection and move with the leaders of the advancing tide of international opinion in support of the moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters."

"It's intolerable that the Chang Xing and a few hundred other bottom trawlers - including some from New Zealand * can get away with bulldozing vulnerable habitats and species to oblivion in the unregulated high seas. Unless this practice is halted, we could lose species and deep-sea habitats forever," Hagler said. "A UN moratorium on bottom trawling in international waters is the only effective solution."

Contact:
Mike Hagler, Greenpeace oceans campaigner on 021 321 379
Cindy Baxter, communications officer on 021 772661

Dear AMSA/ACRS Colleagues

One of my PhD students, Jon Nevill, is currently examing Australia's committments and actions to protecting marine biodiversity (from a national and international policy perspective).

One of his key passions at the moment (among many) is the need to protect deep water ecosystems in the High Seas from the devastating impacts of bottom trawling. As you may be aware, over the past decade, there has been a growing global scientific consensus on the impact of bottom trawling on these vulnerable ecosytems - and also, the need to take a precautionary and sustainable approach to extractive activities.

In this light, the UN General Assembly is due to re-consider a moratorium on bottom trawling in October 2006.

As a marine and/or environmental scientist - if you agree with the sentiments expressed in the attached letter - then please indicate your support (ie. your name, your affiliation - or suburb) by return email to Jon Nevill (jnevill@netspace.net.au) - and your name will be added to the letter.

Unfortunately, the closing date for signatures is 15 September 2006. This will allow sufficient time for Australia to consider this petition prior to the UNGA meeting.

A progress report on the outcome of the UNGA meeting will be published in the ACRS and AMSA newsletters.

Yours Sincerely

Adjunct Professor Karen Edyvane
Charles Darwin University

Tel: +61 8 8920 9261
Fax: +61 8 8920 9222
Mobile: 0401 115 786 (m)
Email: Karen.Edyvane@cdu.edu.au

As a marine and/or environmental scientist - if you agree with the sentiments expressed in the attached letter - then please indicate your support (ie. your name, your affiliation - or suburb) by return email to Jon Nevill (jnevill@netspace.net.au) - and your name will be added to the letter.
Can you attach the letter, or cut/past its content herein (I would support it anyway, but it is best to know what I am signing).
Thanks, Me

WOW (http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=27075)

Good things are finally happening (well, lots of good things are happening!)

New Zealand is taking a strong stance on bottom trawling in international waters, and will seek the support of other nations at regional meetings and at the United Nations General Assembly next month, the government announced today.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton, and Conservation Minister Chris Carter said the government was seeking an immediate moratorium on the high seas outside areas where competent Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) existed or were under negotiation.

Mr Anderton said such a measure would exclude bottom trawling from about a third of the world’s high seas. He said the government was also advocating that RFMOs should institute strong conservation measures to protect vulnerable ecosystems such as seamounts by 2008.

Mr Carter said New Zealand was putting RFMOs on notice.

"We want decisive action to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems by 2008. If that does not happen we will have no choice but to look at other options, such as a global moratorium.

“The UN General Assembly has already made it clear that establishing controls on the adverse impacts of bottom trawling are urgently needed, and we must accelerate efforts to get them in place.

“There is growing concern and too little known about the impact of bottom trawling on unique marine life and habitats, and we think the international community should proceed with caution, and look very closely at where this fishing method is used.”

Mr Anderton said New Zealand had a very good system of management within its own EEZ that ensured fisheries would remain sustainable and that environmental issues were addressed.

"We already have some sea floor areas protected from bottom trawling and dredging. Our position on bottom trawling in the high seas is a further example of New Zealand's commitment to being a responsible fishing nation."

Mr Peters said effective management in international waters could best be delivered through international agreements negotiated through RFMOs or through the United Nations.

“Since 2004, New Zealand has been prepared to support, in principle, the concept of an interim global moratorium on bottom trawling on the high seas, if such a proposal had sufficient global support to be practical and enforceable.

"To date such support appears limited, so the best protection mechanism we have are RFMOs.”

This is strong stuff. Truly great!

Australian Government announces whole-of-Government position on high seas bottom trawling
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition welcomes Australian proposals to protect deep sea life
1) Australian Government announces it's whole-of-Government position on high seas bottom trawling
On 22 September the Australian Government announced its position on high sea bottom trawling. The release is available at:
http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/releases/2006/joint_biodiversity.html

In summary Australia has indicated it will take a strong position to this years United Nations General Assembly to protect high seas biodiversity including calling for:
an immediate ban on high seas bottom trawling in all unregulated areas
where goverance arrangements (RFMOs) are under negotiation, a ban from 1 August 2007, unless and until conservation and management measures are implemented
within existing RFMOs, a ban from 1 January 2008, unless and until conservation and management measures are implemented
In addition Australia is calling for strong conservation criteria for lifting and enforcing the prohibitions, including applying the pre-cautionary principle so that prohibitions on high seas bottom trawling cannot be lifted unless it can be shown scientifically that it will not damage fragile marine ecosystems.

2) Deep Sea Conservation Coalition welcomes Australian proposals to protect deep sea life

The Deep Sea Conservation Coalition welcomed the announcement by the
Australian Government.

Deep Sea Conservation Coalition Australia Coordinator, Ms Lyn Goldsworthy,
said "today's announcement is very significant as Australia has been wavering on
this issue for quite some time. The Government is now clearly acknowledging
the destructive environmental impacts of high seas bottom trawling on
vulnerable marine ecosystems, the need for immediate action and the need for
long-term protection and sustainable management."

Read the full release here http://www.savethehighseas.org/australia/

For further information please contact:

Clare Henderson 0419 266 110
Lyn Goldsworthy 0412 300 642
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition - Australia/Pacific
http://www.savethehighseas.org/australia/

Good deal! 8-) Just added this to my BottomTrawling.com blog.

That's absolutely terrific!

:smile:

good bottom trawling article at reuters, not much new, but I thought I'd mention the good press:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-11-15T175141Z_01_L14111106_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-FISHING.xml&WTmodLoc=SciNewsHome_C2_scienceNews-5

South park does Bottom Trawling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4atozOKpSF0) :wink:

:lol: That's great! Might get some new converts to the cause.

Something to not be thankful for:UN fails to ban open-ocean bottom trawling (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-11-23T212946Z_01_N23281517_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-UN-FISH.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C5-scienceNews-2)

Why am I not surprised. Ah, Iceland. Such great use of their only on-land resource, geothermal power. Such horrid use of the World's oceans.

Dee Icelandic praeme meenustur would like too announce, we arrh out of Herring!

Wow! I actually thought we had them this time. I was almost sure we were going to win this week. Sad...

WOW (http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=27075)

.
New Zealand is taking a strong stance on bottom trawling in international waters, and will seek the support of other nations at regional meetings and at the United Nations General Assembly next month, the government announced today.

But Dr O.... wait... there's more... in the small print

Race on to find metal deposits
By MICHAEL FIELD - The Dominion Post | Wednesday, 10 January 2007


"Heavily funded Australian explorers have ratcheted up the race for near legendary gold and copper deposits in the South Pacific Ocean, northeast of the North Island, but New Zealanders face being frozen out of any commercial deals in their own waters.

Insatiable Chinese demand for copper and for new technology are beginning to make the deposits economic.

The deposits are found on the Kermadec Arch - running from the Bay of Plenty to Tonga - which is rich in "black smoker" thermal vents containing an array of lucrative metals.

A London listed company, Neptune Minerals, says it has signed a deal to begin sampling operations on Brothers, a hydro-thermally active large undersea crater 400 kilometres northeast of White Island. It could begin mining as early as next year if deposits are proven.

Neptune's announcement was made just ahead of another by Vancouver-based Australian miners Nautilus Minerals, which said yesterday it had lodged 18 prospecting licence applications within Tonga's Exclusive Economic Zone and two special prospecting licences within Fiji's Exclusive Economic Zone, covering a combined area of 90,000 square kilometres.

Some of the Tongan applications are near Minerva Reefs, 1600km northeast of Auckland.

Neptune, listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, said it had signed a letter of intent with Norway's Geo Subsea Group to begin its Kermadec exploration programme.

It would explore over the Brothers, in an area 1800 metres deep.

Neptune said that if the work, beginning next month, was successful, it would aim to have a commercial operation in place by next year."

Simple really - keep the trawlers out of the way of the mining operations

Interesting, especially given some talks I've seen at recent conferences. There seemed to be a lot of interest in New Zealand's offshore minerals. We're supposed to have an 'Oceans Policy' to cover this sort of stuff.

One question though, isn't 1800m deeper than the trawlers can currently go?

This is absolute lunacy!!! We get the area protected from fisheries impacts, and then some international sod-awful organisation comes along, soils our waters further and mines what we protected in the first instance!

Crew, we have a new enemy, a new role, and a new signature! Ban deep-sea mining!! There's a vent barnacle out there at the Brothers, Vulcanolepas osheai, and I'm not about to sit down and let them wipe me out!

M, have you heard anything of the industry BPA proposal; I thought the minister was to announce something in December 06 (having been away I've lost touch with developments).

Matt, they don't regularly trawl to 1800m but they can do so; it just depends how much wire they have on board and what mark they see on the sounder (possible fish); the Tangaroa has gone down > 2000m with trawl gear (most commercial boats wouldn't carry enough wire to go to this depth, and there's no fisheries resource down there that I'm aware of to warrant that expenditure for exploratory purposes).

It's amazing how corporate goons can always find some new way to destroy the environment!

By the way, welcome back Stevie-boy.

I wish I'd paid more attention at the conference I went to in Auckland in November 2006. :oops:

Just to tidy up lose ends, yesterday the Minister announced the closure! Sure, it is drawing criticism (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0704/S00076.htm), but not from me. It is not the sort of subject that you can debate in a radio interview, or try and get across to a reporter; it really does require a 'debate' style forum.

Anywho, here (http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0704/S00096.htm) it is.:grin: