Advocates have renewed calls for a ban on bottom trawling after Newshub exclusively revealed an increasing number of snapper caught in the Hauraki Gulf are suffering from starvation.
Newshub revealed on Monday snapper caught in the Hauraki Gulf are in poor condition and have flaky, white fillets. They are distinctively different to the firm and almost translucent fillets most are used to, according to Biosecurity New Zealand documents.
Hauraki Gulf advocate and Forest and Bird spokesperson Bianca Ranson told AM on Tuesday there are many issues in the Hauraki Gulf but stressed bottom trawling needs to stop as the alarm bells are already ringing.
"Overfishing is definitely one of the main causes and with the draft fisheries plan that has recently been out for consultation, we are really hoping that the submissions are taken really seriously," Ranson told AM co-host Melissa Chan-Green.
"We need to see an end to bottom trawling within the Hauraki Gulf and bottom contact fishing, which is really decimating the food sources and the sea floor within the Hauraki Gulf that our snapper depends on."
But Fisheries New Zealand director Emma Taylor, who was appearing alongside Ranson on AM, said there could be a number of reasons for the decline in the health of snapper but stressed they're taking the issue seriously.
"We don't know the cause of the milky fish syndrome, but it's really important to note there are lots of potential factors at play," Taylor said.
"Snapper often lose condition after their spawn. There are also environmental factors like marine heatwaves and sedimentation. So we're taking a really good look at that because we don't want to guess what the reasons are, it's a very complex issue."
There is a range of issues facing the Gulf, which Ranson describes as being in a crisis, and is calling for urgent action.
"We've just had huge flooding throughout Auckland, which is having an impact on the sea bed with sedimentation. We have the impacts of forestry, agriculture, development, pollution, and overfishing," Ranson said.
"We need to be looking at ecosystem-based management and a holistic approach. The snapper is just another sign on top of other signs that we've already seen that the Hauraki Gulf is in crisis and we need urgent action."
Ranson told AM it's critical "urgent action" is taken to protect the Hauraki Gulf otherwise the area could be left without any species.
"The reality is if we don't have any species left or if we are continuing to see the collapse of stocks within the Hauraki Gulf, then there is nothing to be able to extract for the economy," Ranson said.
"This is critical that we start protecting now so that we can have sustainable fishing methods, so that we can have commercial fishing, so that we can have recreational fishing."
But Taylor doesn't believe we are at that point of losing stocks altogether.
"We were regularly assessing our fish stocks, we're recommending to the Minister where we think changes to catch limits or other measures are needed," Taylor said.
"So I don't think we're in that sort of state, most of our fish stocks in the Gulf are in reasonable shape but we're looking to do better."
Watch the full interview with Bianca Ranson and Emma Taylor in the video above.
