A joint fisheries patrol by the New Zealand Defence Force and the Ministry for Primary Industries has inspected commercial fishers around New Zealand’s most remote fishing community in the Chatham Islands. Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel HMNZS WELLINGTON, with four fishery officers from MPI on board, boarded 31 vessels during almost 10 days of patrol just ended. “The Chatham Island fishery is iconic and the economic backbone of this remote community. Patrols such as this help ensure it is managed sustainably,” says LT CDR Graham MacLean, Commanding Officer of HMNZS WELLINGTON. “It has been a successful operation and we look forward to working together again in the future,” LT CDR MacLean said. “There were days when sea conditions were a bit rough but these did not get in the way of our operations.”
The majority of the vessels inspected were fishing for crayfish or paua, with a few long-liners fishing for ling, bluenose and other deep water species. MPI Compliance Director Dean Baigent said compliance was generally good with some low-level issues that fishery officers will be working through.