Newswire.co.nz, May 22, 2007

MPS TRY TO APPLY BRAKES TO FISHERIES BILL

[Rachel's introduction: The fisheries bill will place sustainability concerns ahead of commercial interests when there are gaps or flaws in information about fish stocks -- a precautionary approach. Opponents fear this will allow the fisheries minister to cut the total allowable catch without any basis.]

Labour's Maori MPs [members of parliament] and a parliamentary committee considering contentious legislation widening scope to cut the fishing catch are trying to apply brakes to the process.

Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton has accused the industry and some MPs of being fanatical in their opposition to the bill amending the 11- year-old Fisheries Act.

He wants the bill passed into law before the October deadline for setting the next round of allowable catches, and has given MPs on the primary production select committee till June 12 to report back to the House.

But the committee has asked for more time. And Labour's Maori MPs are about to meet Mr Anderton to thrash out their concerns about the bill.

Select committee chairman, National MP David Carter, said the committee wanted to get more advice from the Fisheries Ministry.

"We just cannot get it back in a reasonable form in that time," he said. He would be seeking an extension till early August.

The bill will place sustainability concerns ahead of commercial interests when there are gaps or flaws in information about fish stocks.

Opponents fear this will allow the minister to cut the total allowable catch without any basis.

Mr Carter said if the law were to err on the side of sustainability when there was uncertainty about fish stocks, there would be a risk to the reasonable use of the stock.

Maori MPs generally are unhappy about the bill's potential to impact on income flow from the 1992 Sealord fisheries settlement.

The Maori Party has publicly stated its opposition to the bill, while Labour's Maori MPs invited Mr Anderton to meet them tonight.

Mr Anderton argues that international best practice is for fishery managers to adopt a precautionary approach when information is uncertain.

In an angry speech to the seafood industry today he took his critics to task, denied the bill would undermine the Sealord settlement and insisted that it would not lead to wholesale changes in current catch limits.

"What I don't expect from a responsible industry is attempts to ambush a responsible long-term, sustainable policy programme built around the internationally recognised and accepted precautionary principle," Mr Anderton said.

Copyright Newsroom 2007