Fisheries Amendment Bill introduced to Parliament

The Fisheries Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament, to amend the Fisheries Act 1996.  The Bill aims to encourage better fishing practices and will impact both recreational and commercial fishers through amendments to existing regulations.

Proposed changes include:

• Tightening commercial fishing rules for landings, discards at sea, and disposal on land;

• Creating new rules and regulations for offences and penalties, including new infringement offences and a system of demerit points;

• Creating a new defence of releasing catch to save marine mammals and other protected species;

• Introducing a more streamlined and responsive mechanism for commercial and recreational management decision making; and

• Amending the Fisheries Act 1996 to enable the use of on-board cameras to observe fishing activities that occur once the fish are brought onboard, including sorting, processing, and discarding of fish.

The Bill had its First Reading on 5 May, and submissions are open until 17 June 2022.

More information can be found on the New Zealand Parliament website.

If you have any specific legal questions relating to this Bill or fisheries regulations in general, please contact Peter Dawson by email peter@maritimelaw.co.nz; phone +64 27 229 9624.