71046 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries

71046 (2024). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Further to WPQ 61929 (2024) How, if at all, does New Zealand plan to align its fishing policies under the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) with international commitments to marine biodiversity protection, such as the High Seas Treaty and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity?

Hon Shane Jones: Bottom Fishing activities on the highs seas by New Zealand flagged vessels are governed under 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 under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity 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.