History of Fishing in New Zealand

The Scott Report signals a major policy shift. WJ Scott's Fishing Industry Committee concludes that restrictive policies have resulted in the fishing industry being unable to grow and compete internationally. It recommends the current licensing system be abolished and replaced with a vessel registration system, and that a Fishing Industry Board be established. This provides impetus to boatbuilding and engineering in the coming years of expansion.

The Olwyn catches nearly 2 tons of albacore, yellow fin and skipjack tuna on longlines and stimulates a decade of testing to see how to commercialise the pelagic fishery.

The high price of oysters, leads to licensing being replaced by registration and the monopoly of the "oyster barons" being removed. Landings in 1960 were 120,000 sacks. With new entrants allowed and catch limits being modified upwards, vessels increase from 12 to 21. Catch levels grow to 160,000 sacks in 1966 and 164,000 in 1967.  They then fall to 147,000 and 66,000 in 1968 and 1969. By 1969 the oligopoly of the main 3 companies has returned.

Japanese fishing boats first start to appear off New Zealand's waters in the late 1950s. Their presence, and the UK setting up a 12 mile limit in 1964, become the catalyst for an extended NZ fishing zone as large quantities of fish are caught by Japan's fishing fleet. The Territorial Sea and Fishing Zone Act 1965 extends New Zealand’s jurisdiction from 3 to 12 miles and empowers MAF to regulate foreign vessels entering the 12 mile zone.

The Chatham Islands crayfish boom is started in 1965 following a visit by the Picton, which sailed back to Wellington with a cargo of 2 tons. The rush lasted four years, during which time the official catch was 14,427 tons. Estimates of 20,000 to 25,000 are believed to be more accurate, compared to 20,000 tons in Fiordland during the ten years of the 1960s. Many boats and lives are lost on the Chatham Rise and the trip to and from the mainland. Although freezing and processing plants are built, little of the value is retained in the local economy. As the stocks became depleted by 1973, the "looters" return to the mainland.

Sanford's makes its first export shipment to Japan in 1967. The Japanese highly prize snapper and new handling and packing methods develop as a result of the need to improve quality. Meanwhile Japanese vessels undertake research, which is made available to the Marine Department. By 1971 the Japanese fleet is estimated to catch over 130,000 tons of fish from outside the 12 mile limit; species include squid, bluefin tuna, mackerel, barracouta and sharks. The Japanese protect their local inshore fleet with import controls, whilst their offshore fleet has fairly open access to New Zealand's waters. This disparity becomes a major source of tension.

Despite rapid inflation, there is a dramatic increase in the value of New Zealand's wetfish catch over the decade to $7.15m. The value of exports represents 105% of the total value of landings. Total catch, including shellfish, is valued at $19.3m.

Property investment company, JBL, which had diversified into fishing, goes into receivership. Many new investors, who saw fishing as a growth industry are burnt. The receiver keeps the fishing arm going via a joint venture of Nelson Fisheries and Nichimo Limited of Japan.

Fishing industry leaders see the money being put into research by the Ministry of Agriculture, and lobby for change. They are supportive when the Marine Department is abolished. Responsibility for ships goes to the Transport Department and fisheries join with agriculture. The Fisheries Research Division grows to 33 scientists and 52 technicians in the first year as part of MAF (the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries).

The Japanese research vessel, the Shinkai Maru discovers orange roughy, whilst trawling at 800m depth off the Chatham Rise. Because it is white fleshed and not pink, the Japanese captain moves on and the fishery is not exploited until the factory ship Wesermunde creates demand in 1979.

Japanese trawlers begin taking hake when fishing for hoki. Catch in 1975 is 71 tonnes and grows to 5,005 tonnes in 1976. Soviet trawlers on the Chatham Rise target other new species - oreo, southern blue whiting and ling.

In the mid 1970s tuna catches grow, based on pioneering work by Watties, which imports a number of seiners. International super seiners also arrive via joint ventures. By 1983 most pelagic fishing is done in international waters in the western Pacific, due to longer seasons and proximity to canning factories.

The Fisheries Amendment Act 1977 gives MAF the authority to declare controlled fisheries. This compensates for the removal of licensing and one port landing in the 1960s, which resulted in fishermen being very quick to exploit new fisheries, with damaging results. Fisheries that subsequently benefit from stricter control include Nelson and Coromandel scallops, eels, Bluff oysters, rock lobster and Hauraki Gulf snapper.

The Territorial Sea and Fishing Zone Act 1977 extends the territorial sea from 3 to 12 miles and establishes an EEZ 188 miles beyond the territorial sea and encompassing 4.1 million square kilometres of ocean. The United Nation’s Law of the Sea acknowledges New Zealand’s right to implement management measures over all waters within the 200 mile zone. New Zealand then has responsibility to set annual TAC and TACCs. In return New Zealand makes available to foreign nations that portion of TACC that cannot be harvested by domestic fishing activity. Foreign vessels are not allowed to fish within the EEZ without a government to government arrangement, and New Zealand is responsible for conservation measures.

The government encourages investment, joint ventures and capacity growth. Exports increase by a factor of five between 1979 and 1983. Exports of deepwater species grow from 4,000 tonnes in 1978 to 26,000 tonnes in 1982, when 11 deepwater firms are allocated quota in the deepwater fisheries. Inshore fishing permits increase from 4,000 in 1975 to 14,000 in 1979. By 1982 both inshore and deepwater fisheries are showing signs of stock depletion. The Government acknowledges that the seafood industry is facing serious problems, including over-capitalisation of the inshore fleet (by as much as 20%) and sustainability concerns around certain stocks.

In 1978, joint ventures had been encouraged by the government to exploit less-preferred species, not generally caught by New Zealand fishers. By late 1978 22 NZ/foreign joint ventures are approved : 8 for finfish, 12 squid and 2 tuna. A further 4 are approved the next year and 8 are declined. The attraction to NZ companies was linked to tax incentives, capacity and knowledge transfer from overseas. In 1982 the government removes those incentives and refocuses on sustainability.