There is a fishing saying, ‘When in doubt, exaggerate.’ At least that is what comes to mind when the fishing industry repeatedly refers to the quota management system (QMS) as world leading.

In some respects, the QMS may well have maintained world leading status after 30 years, but certainly not with respect to holding commercial fishers accountable for their catches.

The recent report by Michael Heron QC refers to MPI and its predecessor as having been unsuccessful in grappling with commercial discarding and misreporting of catches since the QMS began.

So, the extent of discarding and misreporting is unknown. In all likelihood, it adversely affects many inshore fish stocks and, therefore, the recreational fishing experience.

My overseas travel for the fisheries project has first led me to an entirely contrary situation in the United States. That is, the West Coast groundfish fishery, managed under a QMS-type system since 2011, requires 100 percent accountability for every fish caught.

The most expedient way to attain full accountability has been to place human observers on board every fishing vessel. However, this practice is problematic, particularly for small-scale vessels that lack available space and harvest a complex of species. The cost of observers may be prohibitive for fishing operations that are marginally profitable.

There are also problems associated with having enough observers available and the logistics of moving them from port to port as needed. Many times fishers have simply missed good-weather opportunities to fish because of the unavailability of observers.

For these reasons and others, the West Coast groundfish fishery has gained the unenviable reputation as the most complicated QMS-type system worldwide.

With the combined efforts of fishers’ associations and non-government organisations, beginning in 2015 some fishing vessels have been trialling more cost-effective electronic systems to record their catches in lieu of observers. The design and implementation of these systems present significant challenges in recording catches for both scientific and enforcement purposes.

The Minister for Primary Industries has responded to recent media coverage of discarding and misreporting of catches by fast tracking the development of a similar system, referred to as an integrated electronic monitoring and reporting system (IEMRS).

As stated in the Heron report, some do not view the IEMRS project as the complete solution. What is also needed is clear policy, administrative and legal frameworks that incentivise more acceptable fisher behaviour.

Let’s hope New Zealand can someday again lead in this way.  

Randall is travelling overseas to research the way other nations have addressed fisheries management issues that are common among recreational fishers. Read his September newsletter here.