62543 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

62543 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: What actions, if any, will NZ take to address the issue of NZ-flagged vessels engaging in bottom trawling on the high seas, considering its commitment to the High Seas Treaty and various UNGA resolutions aimed at protecting seamounts and vulnerable marine ecosystems from destructive fishing practices?

Hon Shane Jones: Bottom trawling activities on the high seas in the Pacific by New Zealand flagged vessels is governed by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) whose members include Australia, the Cooks Islands, Chile, China, New Zealand, the United States, and European Union. SPRFMO’s management of bottom fishing is consistent with international commitments, including those in United Nations General Assembly resolutions and it can be expected to consider the implications of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is not yet in force.