A new report published by Fulbright New Zealand suggests a warrant of sustainability could help address discards and increase export value in NZ fisheries.
Anastasia Telesetsky’s Fishing for the Future report suggests such a warrant could provide incentives for changing behaviour as individuals and corporations are rewarded with reputational benefits.
The warrant could be based on indicators such as installation of an electronic monitoring system, demonstrable knowledge of best gear handling, calibrated scales to measure catch and discards, a lack of fisheries convictions over five years, and company commitments to sustainability training and independent audits. This would help distinguish between leaders and laggards, the report says.
The government has introduced assurances around food safety and audits intended to create a safety culture. Similarly there is potential to create a sustainability culture to strengthen the overall credibility of NZ’s seafood industry, the report suggests.
