Push back against plans for surveillance on the high seas.
Fishing boats lined up along Bluff wharf. Photo: The Wireless/John Lake
For Bluff cray fisherman Jayce Fisher, working the ocean is a way of life that has been passed down for generations.
But he says this way of life is being threatened by new regulations imposed by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) that could see cameras installed on board all vessels, along with GPS equipment and digital catch logging - all at the cost of the vessel operators.
Fisher took the business over from his father. It's been in his family for generations. He also employs three of his cousins as his only crew members.
“The sea is part of our culture and our way of life, so we have a lot of respect for it.”
As I interview him, we're both hoping his reception holds out - he's on his way out to sea and he won't be back on dry land for another four days.
When he's not working, the boat is his home. It's common for other members of his whānau to head out alongside him, including young nieces and nephews.
"We've been a part of the sea in the south since pre-European times. We've been going backwards and forwards to the Muttonbird Islands for generations, since before the signing of The Treaty of Waitangi.
“We've navigated those seas; they've been bountiful for us. We understand the management and respect required in order to keep our lifestyle going.”
While he understands the need for logging data and location tracking - provided its keep secure and confidential - it’s the uncertainty around the exact ins and outs of camera surveillance that has really struck a chord with him.
He says that many members of his whānau use the boat outside of his day-to-day business. "These are cultural things we utilise our vessel for that are not part of fishing and we don't want [MPI] seeing what we're doing. It’s a very cultural and personal experience."
We've navigated those seas; they've been bountiful for us. We understand the management and respect required in order to keep our lifestyle going.
He says the industry is being monitored to an “absolute disgusting degree”.
The ministry says that the new regulations will promote sustainability, helping them to crack down on fish dumping and provide more accurate estimates of protected species bycatch - that is, a species of fish or shellfish that is caught unintentionally, or that is undersize.
But Fisher says there is very little bycatch caught in the industry and crayfish, as an example, can be returned to the sea alive. He believes a blanket policy is unfair.
"Certain bad things have been done by commercial fishermen, admittedly.
“Same with farming. Do they take a stance against that, no."
There has only been one case of fish dumping in Southland in the past five years, although those charges were later dropped.
“I'm concerned for crayfish really, that's my industry, that's what I do and we've got the most sustainable model of fishing probably on the planet, it could be replicated everywhere and the whole world would be fine.”
Bluff cray fisherman Jayce Fisher. Photo: Supplied
According to an MPI consultation document, 24 hours a day camera surveillance of this kind is allowed under the Search and Surveillance Act 2012, as long as it monitors fishing or transportation for the purpose of regulating or controlling fishing and the possession, processing, and disposal of fish.
The exact rules about the use of cameras, including the length of time that cameras will be required to run, are yet to be finalised.
"For a lot of people in these industries, their boats are their lives, they feel at home, they feel relaxed, they feel a part of the boat, it's almost like a foreign entity invading your space,” Fisher says.
He says it's an issue he thinks all New Zealanders should be concerned about. "The idea that this could be the start of a surveillance scheme that could encompass all industries, it reminds us of certain countries we would never want to be like."
"There has to be a stand against it."
Learning the ropes from his father, he wants to keep the business in his family, handing down a way of life as it has always been.
"I feel saddened that I may be the last generation to have experienced not only the work lifestyle, but the cultural freedom down here.
"I'm just the most recent generation of those people and I'm going to be the last one to experience that uncontrolled environment of just being one with what we've always done. It's a massive encroachment on our way of life."
The new regulations were passed in July following public meetings held by MPI around the country and a submission process.
Since passing the regulations, the ministry has been developing the exact rules for how these will work in practice. The process for GPS tracking and digital catch logging included notifying all permit holders and industry groups about consultation on the draft rules and meeting with industry groups representing all fishing types.
The young ones trying to get into the industry, they won't be able to afford it. The older ones, who are used to a life of not being monitored, are going to jump out of the game.
Consultancy regarding the rules around camera regulations is expected to begin in October and the industry will be able to raise their concerns during this time. The MPI expects this will give them an opportunity to address privacy concerns.
"It's just a checklist, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to listen to us. There’s too much for them to gain,” Fisher says, adding that he’d love to be proven wrong.
The ministry says that the monitoring would not be required when the vessels are de-registered for commercial purposes, but this would be like de-registering a car, it’s certainly not something that you do on a daily basis, only to then register it again the following day.
They estimate the camera equipment and installation to cost up to $18,000, with up to $2000 extra for service costs.
“It would massively affect our bottom line,” says Fisher.
"The young ones trying to get into the industry, they won't be able to afford it. The older ones, who are used to a life of not being monitored, are going to jump out of the game.”
Before the legislation passed, it was tested in the North Island by Trident Systems.
Fisher says Sanford, the largest integrated fishing business in New Zealand, are the biggest majority stakeholder. The company holds 42 percent of Trident’s shares and is the country's largest fishing quota holder.
“There's a lot more behind it all,” Fisher says.
"It's part of the way the world's moving and I understand that, but I do think there needs to be an alliance between the industries. Let's do something other than mass, mass surveillance."
