New Zealand’s government has announced that foreign charter fishing vessels working in New Zealand waters will have to be reflagged under the national flag over a four-year transition period.
The move is “welcome, right and overdue. Scandal has followed scandal in this area in recent years, including grave instances of crew abuse. We congratulate MUNZ and all those who pushed for this reform,” Whitlow said.
MUNZ General Secretary Joe Fleetwood said that once the policy goes into effect, foreign fishing vessels catching New Zealand quota will have to totally stick to New Zealand employment, health and safety and labour laws.
“The Government’s decision sends a clear message that New Zealand is serious about the fair treatment of fishing crews, the safety of vessels and its international reputation for ethical and sustainable fishing practices,” Primary Industries Minister David Carter and Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson said, TVNZ reports.
Fleetwood noted that the four-year transition period announced was overly generous because the shift is actually needed right away. He thus hopes that no exemptions will be granted at the end of the four-year period to any foreign flagged vessels that request it.
“Given the string of fishery breaches, labour abuses and harm to crew members experienced in recent years, we must ensure that the industry is policed over the transition period,” Fleetwood commented.
For many years, the Maritime Union has been calling for stiffer regulation of the fishing industry. Through its affiliation to the ITF, the union has helped many foreign crew members struggling with unethical and sometimes illegal practices on their boats.