Rough times for Kidd

Forest and Bird, Issue 267, 1 February 1993, Page 4

Rough times for Kidd

Barry Weeber

THE PARLIAMENTARY Commissioner for the Enviroment Helen Hughes has found that the Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery is in imminent danger of collapse. This fully supports the position taken by Forest and Bird on the overfishing of this deepwater and slow growing fish (see Forest & Bird August last year). The commissioner’s report was highly critical of the approach of the Fisheries Minister Doug Kidd to sustainable management of the species and his decisions on catch limits. The commissioner claimed in her report that "the decisions on [total allowable catch] for the Chatham Rise Orange Roughy Fishery in 1991-92 and 1992-93 were unlawful" because the minister took into account issues outside the scope of the legislation and the decision would not result in a sustainable fishery. The catch level set by the Minister for the current fishing year will cause a further decline

in the orange roughy stock. MAF Fisheries recommended that the catch be reduced to a maximum of 6,100 tonnes on the Chatham Rise but the Minister allowed 14,000 tonnes to be caught. To rebuild the fishery to a long term sustainable level, the catch would have to be reduced to 3,300 tonnes. Mr Kidd claimed at the time that the information was ambiguous but surprisingly even the fishing industry’s own researchers agreed with MAF. In a report to the Fishing Industry Board, consultant Doug Butterworth had said that MAF "were drawing conclusions on a commonly accepted scientific basis on the most parsimonious interpretation of the data. Indeed it would be irresponsible of them not to put those conclusions forward." Sadly the Minister and the fishing industry seem to view this vulnerable fishery as a short-term cash crop.