As I wrote a month ago, up to the late 90s I was quite involved in NZ fisheries as part of the industry, regulatory advisory bodies and also was a research provider working on pelagics and recreational assessments. Then I got involved in a series of quite complex regulatory issues where politics got mixed in, and I really hated all that, I felt out of my depth and as fish out of the water. So I moved my work focus back to technical issues in the Pacific, where I fished and lived prior to coming to NZ.
Yet I do keep a keen interest in NZ fisheries, in fact, I have used NZ experiences and models for my work overseas and have good friends deeply involved in NZ fisheries at every level
Yet is a bit of a minefield, since immediately you get cornered to a sector or set of users… doesn't matter that you are a technical person... in NZ (as in any of the 56 countries I worked so far ) when fisheries and politics mix… the worst of both seem to emerge.
Yet for me, there are 2 things in NZ that are quite special if compared worldwide: 1st one is that we are a quite transparent society in term of corruption (remember I grew up in Latin America!), and most of the society is quite straight in terms of rule of law, 2nd one is that there is a system in place: the Quota Management System that caters for all sectors… yes it has problems, yes is over 30 years old and lots of things have changed, yes is not perfect, etc, etc… I heard it all before… don't worry. But is there, and it has proven its worth in more cases than it has failed, but fundamentally and with all its arguable flaws, it gives a platform to build upon.
So when I was approached to be a member of a reference panel for the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor’s “Aotearoa- New Zealand / what fishing might look like in 2040” consultation, I was totally stoked. You can read the draft ToRs of the working group here.
NZ fisheries are after all the country and sector that welcomed me and gave me a fair shot in life.
There are two things that really gut me from people: ingratitude and pretentiousness, so been selected to contribute to such a high-level discussion when I started my working life here on 90 footers trawlers off Onehunga’s port, then far north longliners, is really humbling. (the pics above are from those days)
I’m looking forwards to be part of this recognition that to reduce the gaps in data and knowledge in the fisheries sector is important to ensure that fishing is being undertaken sustainably and to meet Aotearoa New Zealand’s commitment to taking a more integrated approach to fisheries management, which includes consideration of the wider environment and its inhabitants… This for me sounds a lot like FAO’s Essential EAFM - Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (an area I worked on while there 10 years ago)
This project will convene an expert panel which seeks to identify innovative technologies and methods that can be applied to fisheries to achieve these goals. It will provide recommendations on how Aotearoa New Zealand can move towards a vision for a modernised, data-driven approach to efficient and effective fishing which preserves this resource for future generations.
While the scope for the project will be finalised in conjunction with the expert panel. The report will include the evidence base to address the following:
A vision for data-driven fishing in Aotearoa New Zealand in 2040.
Is the current data collection robust?
How do data and knowledge gaps reported impact our fisheries?
How do these data and knowledge gaps impact management of our marine environment?
How can mātauranga Māori better inform fishing practices?
What new technologies are being developed and what innovative research is being undertaken in fisheries (locally and internationally)?
What other research, methods and technologies exist in other sectors that could be applied to fisheries?
How would an application and integration of new technologies, research or approaches reduce data and knowledge gaps in our fisheries management system and improve outcomes?
The job of the expert panel and reference group is to guide the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor in preparing the report. And then the report will be delivered to the Prime Minister and later made public on the PMCSA website.
Is not really a job, since no one is getting paid here (and in fact, I think I’m the only self-employed person in the whole thing) but as said before… I despise ingratitude… and I owe a huge part of my life to NZ and its fisheries.
I keep updating on this.