With fisheries reforms on hold, should New Zealand reconsider bottom trawling?
As the government delays controversial fishing legislation, marine scientists argue New Zealand should reassess whether its reliance on bottom trawling adequately protects ocean health.
The government has postponed its contentious Fisheries Amendment Bill until after the election, reigniting debate over bottom trawling—the country's most common commercial fishing method. Marine scientists warn that dragging heavy nets across the seafloor damages vulnerable habitats, kills marine mammals as bycatch, and disturbs carbon storage and ecosystem processes, despite the industry's economic importance. While commercial fishing accounts for around NZ$2 billion in annual export earnings, researchers propose protecting 50% of territorial seas and exclusive economic zones from bottom trawling, along with other measures to reduce environmental impacts while allowing fishing to continue.
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With contentious fisheries reforms on hold, should NZ rethink bottom trawling?
Aotearoa has an opportunity to step back from the immediate political debate and consider what balance it wants to strike between seafood production and the long-term health of its oceans, writes marine science professor Simon Thrush. The government’s controversial Fisheries…