11018 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

11018 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: How, if at all, is the decision to remove Fishing Related Mortality Limits on sea lions consistent with objective 8 of the National Fisheries Plan for Deepwater and Middle-depth Fisheries 2019 to ‘Manage deepwater and middle-depth fisheries to avoid, remedy or mitigate the adverse effects of these fisheries on the long-term viability of endangered, threatened and protected species populations’?

Hon Shane Jones: The Fishing Related Mortality Limit (FRML) for the southern squid fishery (SQU6T) expired under the previous government on 30 September 2023. Advice from Fisheries New Zealand was that it was not necessary to set a new FRML for SQU6T. I am advised that the decision is consistent with objective 8 of the Deepwater Fisheries Plan. The effects of the SQU6T fishery on sea lions are effectively mitigated by management measures in place for the fishery, including the mandatory deployment of Sea Lion Exclusion Devices (SLEDs) and changes in fishing effort in SQU6T. A FRML, set at a level to ensure the fishery does not have an adverse impact on the population, has not been close to being approached since 2005.