Retrospective on Kenneth Blanchette, “New Zealand’s Commercial Fishing Industry: Too Many Fish in the Sea?” from New Zealand: New Challenges in Paradise PerspecƟves on Business and Economics, Volume 27, 2009 Kenneth BlancheƩe ’09 is now Product Manager at Verily Life Sciences. Has New Zealand found effective solutions to combat poaching and dumping? Since 2009, New Zealand has implemented creaƟve, new soluƟons to combat poaching. The “Poaching is TheŌ” program implemented in 2006 remains today and acts as a hotline where people can report suspected poachers. The government has also implemented a digital monitoring system as of November 2019 that requires fisherman to electronically log their catch as soon as it happens. This system also involves onboard cameras that are mandatory for all ships and must remain on and transmiƫng while on the seas. Another method they have implemented is ouƞiƫng albatrosses with GPS trackers. Thousands of these birds drown every year when they fly down to eat bait out of dragged fishing nets and get entangled. Albatrosses tend to congregate wherever fishing boats are, aƩracted by the ample food. Taking advantage of this, “researchers said they fiƩed the birds’ GPS units with radar detectors, as poachers who disable their [automaƟc idenƟficaƟon systems] typically rely on radar systems to avoid collisions with other vessels. Sure enough, over a six-month period ending June 2019, the seabirds’ radar detectors picked up signatures for 353 vessels. Nearly 30 percent of them had no corresponding AIS signal” (Ingraham, 2020). Not only is this method effecƟve, but it is also inexpensive and helps save the lives of these waterfowl. Has the rapid growth of New Zealand’s ϐishing industry outpaced regulation and drastically affected the health of the ϐisheries? While New Zealand has had rapid growth in its fishing industry, the country has done fairly well in enacƟng regulaƟons to control it. The Kiwis have also improved their implemented Quota Management System. This involves seƫng moreaccurate limits on catch amount per species through target management plans. “Fisheries New Zealand works in collaboraƟon with others to develop management plans to provide targeted support to fisheries that are not meeƟng sustainability expectaƟons and need closer management or to outline management frameworks for protected species impacted by fisheries” (Office of the Prime Ministers’s Chief Science Advisor, 2020). In doing so, this method will beƩer preserve the sustainable yield of the fishery. The biggest issue the industry seems to face is funding. While New Zealand did spend about $22 million between 2017 and 2020 on fishing research, there are sƟll many gaps. “Limited funding and resources mean that prioriƟsing and allocaƟng funding to the most pressing issues is important. Within a low-trust sector with mulƟple compeƟng interests these prioriƟes are highly contested” (Office of the Prime Ministers’s Chief Science Advisor, 2020). The issues of bycatch and dumping sƟll remain, but hopefully in the future soluƟons for them will be discovered. References Ingraham, C. (2020, September 25). Researchers are now fighƟng marine poaching with GPSequipped sea birds. The Washington Post. Office of the Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor. (2020). Commercial fisheries in 2020 – PMCSA. RetrospecƟve by Sidney Jankanish ’23, PoliƟcal Science and InternaƟonal RelaƟons Martindale Retrospectives 6 November 2021
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