The seafood industry is one of the founding partners in the Southern Seabird Solutions Trust which has received NZ$100,000 towards a seabird smart recreational fishing initiative that aims to reduce the number of birds accidentally caught by recreational fishers in the upper North Island.
“The commercial seafood industry has been a strong supporter and sponsor of the Trust which has been instrumental in working with commercial fishers to reduce seabird by-catch in a practical way,” says Tim Pankhurst, Chief Executive of Seafood New Zealand.
“The Southern Seabird Solutions Trust’s approach is collaborative and based on shared learnings, often gained in workshops held with fishers around the country.
"The workshop approach has been hugely beneficial in getting fishers to spread the word and help other fishers to understand why seabird mitigation is worth it,” says Mr Pankhurst.
“It’s great to see that expertise, knowledge and effort will now be extended into the recreational fishing sector.”
The NZ$100,000 fund will go towards creating hubs of “seabird smart” recreational fishing communities in key fishing areas in the upper North Island.
