Displaying 1 - 24 of 93 results.

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley today acknowledged the crew of HMNZS Wellington with a presentation to mark the first ever high seas fisheries compliance operation involving the Navy’s new offshore patrol vessels (OPVs).

Mr Heatley says ‘Operation Zodiac’ was a superb example of how collaborative interagency work could protect New Zealand’s wider fisheries interests.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Major aquaculture legislation reform that creates the platform for aquaculture to become a $1 billion industry by 2025 takes effect on 1 October 2011 says Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley.

"Aquaculture requires only a small fraction of our coastal space, but it has the potential to be a huge boost to our economy," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has today congratulated scientists on their work on International Polar Year (IPY) projects in Antarctica.

At a symposium in Wellington this evening, Mr Heatley said the research undertaken during IPY will inform New Zealand’s approach to a range of Antarctic issues including conservation, sustainable harvesting and climate change.

"Science collaboration is an important part of New Zealand’s continuing engagement in Antarctica, Antarctic science, and on Antarctic issues," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has today announced changes to fishing catch limits and other management controls in a range of fishstocks managed under the Quota Management System (QMS).

Mr Heatley says he considers the best available scientific and management information as well as submissions from customary, recreational and commercial fishers, environmental groups and the public before making these decisions. 

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley says a one-off extension to the Bluff oyster season will give Rugby World Cup supporters the chance to savour one of New Zealand’s most treasured delicacies.

"We have a relatively short timeframe to showcase the best of New Zealand produce to the many thousands of visitors who will be visiting our shores during the Rugby World Cup. Issuing a special permit to commercial fishers to run from 5 September to 23 October will give visitors the chance to taste some of the best oysters in the world," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Five new marine reserves, including the two largest in mainland New Zealand, are to be established on the South Island’s West Coast, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson and Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced today.

The new reserves are Kahurangi (8466ha), Punakaiki (3558ha), Okarito (4641ha), Gorge (847ha) and a small educational site at Ship Creek near Haast (16ha), totalling 17,528ha combined.

Kahurangi and Okarito will become the two largest marine reserves on New Zealand’s mainland coast.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Kate Wilkinson
  • Conservation
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Phil Heatley and Minister of Labour, Kate Wilkinson have today announced the Ministerial Inquiry panel members and the Terms of Reference (TOR) for the inquiry into the operation of fishing vessels, including foreign charter vessels (FCV), in New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters.

Phil Heatley says this will be a comprehensive inquiry.

"The TOR are deliberately broad in scope as in our view it is desirable to consider and address the breadth of issues that have been raised.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Kate Wilkinson
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Labour

A government fund that supports community-led growth and innovation in the rural sector has been widened to include aquaculture.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) will now consider applications for projects that support economic and environmental performance in the marine and land-based aquaculture sector.

  • David Carter
  • Phil Heatley
  • Agriculture
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Legislation passed today sets the legal framework needed to support growth in the aquaculture sector, says Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Supplementary Orders proposed for inclusion in the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill (No 3) will strengthen the legislation says Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley.

"We need to ensure that the legislative changes we put in place work to create the framework needed to help the aquaculture industry reach its goal of $1 billion in annual sales by 2025," says Mr Heatley.

This target is a three-fold increase on the current sales level.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

A Ministerial Inquiry will consider the operation of Foreign Charter Vessels (FCVs) in New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) waters.

Initiated by Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Phil Heatley and Labour Minister, Kate Wilkinson, the inquiry will consider all key issues relevant to the use of FCVs.

Mr Heatley says while full terms of reference for the inquiry have yet to be established, it is important for both the Government and our fishing sector to affirm New Zealand’s international reputation as a world-leading fisheries manager.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Kate Wilkinson
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Labour

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley is praising the strong fisheries management practises and decisive joint Ministry and industry action that has resulted in recovery of the western hoki stock.

"The Ministry of Fisheries latest fisheries assessment plenary report; ‘A stock take of the state of our fisheries management,’ indicates fish stock has rebuilt and that is great news for the fishery and industry," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

New Zealand today ratified a new Convention to manage fisheries in the South Pacific, says Foreign Minister Murray McCully and Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley.

Under the Convention, a new South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) will administer an area of ocean from Western Australia to the waters off South America, covering the entire Tasman Sea and South Pacific Ocean.

  • Murray McCully
  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Foreign Affairs

The second reading of the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill (No 3) brings legislation to promote investment, reduce costs and uncertainty and ensure managed growth within environmental limits one step closer, says Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Phil Heatley.

"Following a decade of roadblocks and missed opportunities this Bill is set to reform aquaculture legislation," says Mr Heatley.  "Once enacted it will provide an efficient legislative framework to enable the aquaculture industry to reach its goal of $1 billion in earnings by 2025."

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley today announced the removal of 176 unnecessary regulations from the law books.

Minister for Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide says previous Governments did not pay enough attention to the quality of the stock of regulations.

“Many unnecessary regulations were allowed to remain on the law books and legislation has not been updated to keep up with the times,” Mr Hide said.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Rodney Hide
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Regulatory Reform

Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully says two North Korean fishing vessels have been intercepted by a RNZAF P3 Orion carrying out surveillance against illegal fishing in the Ross Sea.

In February the Xiong Nu Baru 33 and Sima Qian Baru 22 were detected fishing to the east of the Ross Sea within the area managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

The Xiong Nu Baru 33 was using deep-sea gillnets, which are banned in the CCAMLR Convention Area.

  • Murray McCully
  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Foreign Affairs

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley will be in Marlborough today to celebrate the re-opening of the blue cod fishery in the Marlborough Sounds Area (MSA).

The fishery, which has re-opened 18 months ahead of schedule, will remain open until 31 August 2011, then will open seasonally from 20 December to 31 August each year.

The Minister says he is delighted to participate in the re-opening of what can, once again, be a truly superb fishery.

"This is a significant day for an iconic fishery," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has decided catch limits for rock lobster (crayfish) fisheries to apply from 1 April this year.

Mr Heatley says the catch limits in the Wellington/Hawkes Bay spiny rock lobster fishery will increase, while those in Otago and Southern fisheries will decrease.  No changes are proposed in the Canterbury/Marlborough spiny rock lobster fishery.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has announced new catch limits for two southern blue whiting stocks from 1 April 2011.

In Bounty Islands southern blue whiting (SBW6B) the total allowable catch (TAC) will be reduced by more than half (53 per cent) from 15,000 to 7,000 tonnes.

"This is the first year of a two-year phased reduction," says Mr Heatley. "It is necessary because stock biomass has declined.”

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley says merging the Ministry of Fisheries (MOF) with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will net gains for both Ministries.

"During my time as Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture I have been very impressed with the Ministry’s commitment to managing and improving the performance of competing interests in our coastal waters," says Mr Heatley.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully and Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Phil Heatley today welcomed 18 Pacific trainees to New Zealand to take part in a programme aimed at giving them the skills and knowledge to develop sustainable and profitable fishing operations in the Pacific.

"New Zealand is providing $500,000 in funding for the Pacific Fisheries Extension Officer course, which forms part of a wider package of support for Pacific fisheries.

  • Murray McCully
  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Foreign Affairs

Investment in primary sector innovation has reached new levels with the announcement today of $107 million of government-industry funding of Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) proposals.

This takes the total government-industry spend to more than $475 million over 16 months.

  • David Carter
  • Phil Heatley
  • Agriculture
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Three huge marine reserves totalling 435,163ha are to be established in the Subantarctic Islands, Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson and Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced today.

The Ministers’ decisions will see a marine reserve cover the entire territorial sea - out to 12 nautical miles - surrounding Antipodes Island, with two further marine reserves around the Bounty Islands and Campbell Island, covering 58 percent and 39 percent of those islands’ territorial seas respectively.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Kate Wilkinson
  • Conservation
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture

Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley has announced that the Marlborough Sounds recreational blue cod fishery will reopen on 1 April 2011.

Mr Heatley says he is very pleased that following a comprehensive process involving the hard work of the Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod Management Group (BCMG), consultation with the Marlborough and wider community and rigorous scientific research, the Government is now in a position to take this important step with regard to this iconic blue cod fishery.

  • Phil Heatley
  • Fisheries and Aquaculture