Key Orange Roughy Population On Verge Of Collapse: Government Considers Closure
The scientific report from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), released last week, indicates that the fishery, known as East and South Chatham Rise (ESCR) is in a dire state, with over 80% of the original orange roughy population wiped out. The stock assessment puts the population at 8-18% of its original size (10% is generally considered the collapse of a fishery)
Meanwhile, a Fisheries NZ consultation document indicates the government is considering closing the fishery, which has never been closed before.
'This data is consistent with what environmentalists have been saying for years - that bottom trawling has pushed this species to the brink,' says Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Ellie Hooper on board the Rainbow Warrior which has just been on the Chatham Rise.
'It's clear that this fishery needs to be closed, and that key spawning habitats - seamounts and features - need to be protected from bottom trawling for sustainable fish populations.'
The wider Chatham Rise fishery has recently been under scrutiny after it was revealed a bottom trawler, which was confirmed as fishing for orange roughy, hauled up 6 tonnes of protected stony coral in a single trawl at the end of last year.
'What we're seeing is a perfect storm of poor fishery management: a stock driven to the brink of collapse by overfishing, the loss of key spawning grounds through heavy trawling on seamounts, and the wholesale destruction of ancient coral ecosystems,' said Karli Thomas of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition.
'This is a fishery that's been so overfished it's not predicted to recover for at least a generation - and that's just the fish population' says Barry Weeber of Environment and Conservation Organisations of Aotearoa (ECO).
'Those same bottom trawlers destroy corals that can be hundreds, even thousands of years old, and will take many lifetimes to recover. If we want a healthy ocean and fisheries for the next generation, we need to change the way we fish'
This same (ESCR) Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery lost its Marine Stewardship Council 'sustainable' tick in 2023 after a stock survey revealed declining catch rates instead of the projected stock recovery, and the stock assessment was declared invalid.
Next week, the Environmental Law Initiative is taking the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to court over the mismanagement of the wider Chatham Rise orange roughy fishery. The case will be heard in the High Court, Wellington on 7-9 July 2025.
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Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
South overrepresented in lame stats
People sending sheep and cattle to southern meatworks have an overrepresentation in the number of fines being issued for livestock arriving lame. New guidelines will improve systemic flaws in transporting livestock, an industry spokeswoman says. Data obtained from the Ministry for Primary Industries, released under the Official Information Act, shows 42.5% of the total infringements issued last year for lame sheep and cattle, both dairy and beef, were for livestock that arrived at meatworks in Otago and Southland. Ministry data shows the cattle and sheep processed at meatworks in Otago and Southland account for 27.6% of the animals processed in New Zealand last year. National Livestock Transport & Safety Council vice-chairwoman Shona Robertson, of Tapanui, gave a presentation, "Livestock transport — black and white? Try 50 shades of grey", at the New Zealand Veterinary Association conference in Wellington in June this year. Livestock transport had systemic flaws, she said. The "black and white" regulations often did not reflect what happened on the ground. "Livestock transport involves working with live animals in unpredictable, high-pressure situations — and that creates grey areas that regulations don't always account for." To bring more clarity and consistency around what good practice looked like, the council would soon be releasing new national guidelines to support all parts of the supply chain, she said. Many issues, such as animals arriving lame or injured, animals being too tall for a trailer deck height or animals not having the appropriate vet certification, stemmed from a lack of understanding across the supply chain, she said. Improving communication and education was key for all stakeholders, such as farmers, stock agents, processors, transporters and vets. "If each party had a clearer understanding of the challenges others face in their part of the journey, we could reduce the number of avoidable issues." Open conversations and a willingness to collaborate were essential, she said. "Practical, real-world solutions won't come from working in silos — they'll come from the industry coming together to solve shared problems." Mrs Robertson said the council was focused on driving greater collaboration and alignment across the sector. "By working together, we can lift standards, reduce blame and improve outcomes for both animal welfare and the people responsible for it." Livestock drivers were not trained veterinarians but were expected to make quick assessments about animal fitness during loading, a process that often took up to 30 minutes, with animals moving at pace up a ramp. "By that point, the animals have already been raised, selected and prepared by the farmer. So it's crucial that proper preparation is done on-farm, and that stock selection is based on a sound understanding of what's fit for transport." The quality of loading infrastructure played a big role, she said. Good facilities, including safe ramps and adequate sorting pens, helped reduce stress on animals and made it easier for drivers to do their job safely and efficiently. MPI data shows 73 fines were issued for lame sheep and cattle arriving at meatworks in New Zealand last year. Of those 23 were meatworks in Otago and eight were meatworks in Southland. The South had a greater representation in the infringements issued between 2021 and 2023. Of the 275 fines issued in New Zealand in that time, 20.4% were in Otago and 24% in Southland. Of the fines issued nationally for lame sheep and cattle arriving at meatworks last year, 71 were issued to a livestock owner, or a person in charge of the livestock other than a transporter, for allowing stock to be taken to a meatworks without a veterinary certificate of fitness for transport. Two fines were issued last year to transporters for failing to comply with relevant conditions of a veterinary certificate. Generally, an infringement incurs a penalty of $500. Veterinary Centre vet Dave Robertson, of North Otago, also spoke at the conference, giving his perspective on issuing veterinary transport certificates for livestock. A transport certificate was a legal document issued after a vet had given an animal a comprehensive clinical examination, he said. If a vet issued a certificate, they accepted responsibility for an animal's condition when it reached a processor, Dr Robertson said. Transport was inherently stressful for livestock. The distance and time an animal spent travelling should be as short as possible. An animal should go directly from the farm to the nearest suitable slaughter premises. Certified animals should be capable of travelling and arrive at their destination in a state similar to that when loaded. An animal's condition should not deteriorate during the journey. A vet should consider other options where appropriate, such as on-farm slaughter, processing stock for pet food or giving stock further treatment. Animals must be able to put all feet down when standing. When assessing animals for lameness, he graded them on a scale of one to three, Dr Robertson said. The highest grade of three was given to animals unable to carry their own weight, which were not suitable for transport. Animals with grade 2 lameness could be transported if certificate conditions were attached, such as being transported to the closest works, being the last on and first off a trailer and travelling on a lower deck. A line of sheep could be culled for lameness but required a certificate, Dr Robertson said. Any emaciated, non-weight bearing sheep were excluded from being transported. Sheep with shearing cuts, acute mastitis or dog bites could not be transported, he said. Infringements could also be issued at a meatworks for breaching other regulations including transporting livestock to meatworks with wounds, bleeding, discharging skin, eye cancer, or ingrown and bleeding horns. A cow giving birth in transit, or in the yards, or with injured or diseased udders and transported without a certificate could also result in an infringement. His general guidelines for issuing a transport certificate was ensuring animals were not bleeding and had no pus discharge, loose bits of skin tissue, or udders with exposed tissue, which could be surgically ligated and removed to allow healing for a subsequent reassessment, Dr Robertson said. Active, moist discharging skin wounds were not suitable for transport including fly strike. Certificates were valid for seven days from issuing. Arranging meatworks space before the vet arrived was preferred, he said. MPI animal welfare and National Animal Identification and Tracing compliance district manager Hannah Ballantyne said the ministry was aware the infringement numbers were higher in the South than other areas from 2021. The proportion of fines in the South reflected the relatively high volumes of animals being processed in the area, she said. MPI veterinarians would continue to identify and report instances of lameness in animals that arrive at meat processors. If the reporting identified a concerning trend, the ministry would take action, she said. "That is not the case here."
Otago Daily Times
31-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Ferrets enlisted in Queenstown rabbit fight
By Katie Todd of RNZ A team of tamed ferrets has been making short work of a long-eared problem in the battle against Queenstown's rampant rabbit population. The mustelids are part of an unusual pest control operation run by Jim Curry and his partner Jacqui Elson, who believe the best way to fight an introduced pest is with another. Earlier this week, star ferret Oprah Winfrey took the lead to flush out a warren at a vacant property in Lower Shotover, as detection dogs waited at the ready to catch runaways. Curry said the premise was simple - fences up, ferret in and "hopefully we'll watch the fireworks as rabbits come flying out both sides". Over two days of methodical work, the ferrets managed to flush out more than 100 rabbits, which were quickly dispatched with a break of the neck. Elson said it was just another job in what had become a near non-stop string of requests since relocating their business 'Jim's Bunny Hunters' to Queenstown. She said they took on work across farms, lifestyle blocks and commercial sites, often booked by curious locals who had seen their rabbit-laden ute. "They'll stop and follow us into like petrol station or cafe or something, because they've seen what we've got on the ute. People will literally stalk you into a petrol station saying 'I saw your licence plate. We need you,'" she said. Curry said school pick-ups were especially time-consuming because of the ferrets' popularity - and trips around the country often garnered a lot of attention. "We're the only people licensed to transport ferrets all around New Zealand, between islands, which gets you some interesting look on the ferries," he said. A safer way to tackle the problem Each of the ferrets was caught from the wild, mostly by Curry. They could not be imported or bred because ferrets are classified as an "unwanted organism" under the Biosecurity Act. While Curry and Elson were not the only ferreters in the region, they had special MPI approval to keep more than the usual limit of three ferrets. Elson said the ferrets were highly effective hunters and were a safer alternative to poison. On a recent job, she said their results eclipsed those of professional shooters. "The commercial shooters were getting, I think they said about 900, 1000 in a year, and we got about that, including young ones, in three-and-a-half days," she said. "They were getting predominantly males, whereas because we're using the ferrets to get into the holes, we're getting predominantly females with young as well. So it's more efficient, makes a huge difference," she said. Elson said they made the most of each rabbit caught. "We can use an introduced pest, to then catch other introduced pests and then use the rabbits to give back to wildlife rescues for hawks and falcons, little owls, or other zoos. Whatever else isn't fed to our animals then goes to trapping programmes for wild cats, other ferrets, stoats, rats," she said. After each hunt, Elson and Curry filled in the rabbit holes to make sure the area was clear, then if any rabbits remained they would return under the cover of darkness for shooting. Curry said often the most challenging part of the operation was coaxing the ferrets back out, which were known to linger obstinately underground, despite wearing special tracking collars. "The stubborn ones can take a bit of work to get out," he said. A dream realised Ferrets have been a lifelong obsession for Curry, who grew up in the UK. "I'd been reading all the Farmer's Weekly magazines and various hunting magazines and books and things about ferreting for years. I always wanted to do it, but I didn't have the money or the knowledge or the land," he said. Seven years ago in Darfield, someone posted on Facebook about a chicken killer and Curry retrieved the culprit - a ferret he dubbed Colin Farrell. Two more followed and soon Curry was not just rescuing ferrets but putting them to work. "I just went 'right, sod this, I've always wanted to do it'. I ordered some trackers and then ordered purse nets from the UK. It basically started with me knocking on people's doors saying 'hi, I see you've got some rabbits. Can I come and catch them?'" he said. The pair began in Canterbury but Elson said it was a no-brainer when the opportunity arose to shift to rabbit-plagued Queenstown. Curry said the ferret flock had expanded to a star-studded line-up over time. "We have Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Jacinda Ardern, an R Kelly, a P Diddy and a Drake. And then we have a Joe Biden," he said. A persistent problem Otago Regional Council (ORC) considered rabbits one of the area's worst pests, posing a serious threat to the local biodiversity, the environment and economy. Southern Lakes Sanctuary chief executive Paul Kavanagh said they were known to let other predators thrive and tore up land and ate fertile grass, with 10 rabbits devouring the equivalent of one sheep's requirements. "In many of our ecosystems in central Otago, predator numbers are controlled by food availability. So where we get a lot of rabbits, we in turn get a lot of feral cats, stoats, ferrets, weasels," he said. He described the region's rabbit numbers as "relatively out of control". "Anecdotally, we've heard it's getting worse in some areas, especially Cromwell, places like that," he said. In 2023 the ORC discovered rabbit densities of up to 16 rabbits per square kilometre in some parts of Otago. The council said it was undertaking further rabbit night counts across the region and expected to have updated population estimates soon. Staff regularly carried out inspections across the region to identify rabbit hotspots and had helped to develop five "community rabbit management programmes" across the region, the council said. The ORC said it could help landowners tackle their rabbit problem but ultimately it was the landowners or occupiers responsibility to manage the problem.
Otago Daily Times
31-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Kamala' and 'Jacinda' enlisted in the war on rabbits
By Katie Todd of RNZ A team of tamed ferrets has been making short work of a long-eared problem in the battle against a rampant rabbit population. The mustelids are part of an unusual pest control operation run by Jim Curry and his partner Jacqui Elson, who believe the best way to fight an introduced pest is with another. Earlier this week, star ferret Oprah Winfrey took the lead to flush out a warren at a vacant property in Lower Shotover, Queenstown, as detection dogs waited at the ready to catch runaways. Curry said the premise was simple - fences up, ferret in and "hopefully we'll watch the fireworks as rabbits come flying out both sides". Over two days of methodical work, the ferrets managed to flush out more than 100 rabbits, which were quickly dispatched with a break of the neck. Elson said it was just another job in what had become a near non-stop string of requests since relocating their business 'Jim's Bunny Hunters' to Queenstown. She said they took on work across farms, lifestyle blocks and commercial sites, often booked by curious locals who had seen their rabbit-laden ute. "They'll stop and follow us into like petrol station or cafe or something, because they've seen what we've got on the ute. People will literally stalk you into a petrol station saying 'I saw your licence plate. We need you,'" she said. Curry said school pick-ups were especially time-consuming because of the ferrets' popularity - and trips around the country often garnered a lot of attention. "We're the only people licensed to transport ferrets all around New Zealand, between islands, which gets you some interesting look on the ferries," he said. A safer way to tackle the problem Each of the ferrets was caught from the wild, mostly by Curry. They could not be imported or bred because ferrets are classified as an "unwanted organism" under the Biosecurity Act. While Curry and Elson were not the only ferreters in the region, they had special MPI approval to keep more than the usual limit of three ferrets. Elson said the ferrets were highly effective hunters and were a safer alternative to poison. On a recent job, she said their results eclipsed those of professional shooters. "The commercial shooters were getting, I think they said about 900, 1000 in a year, and we got about that, including young ones, in three-and-a-half days," she said. "They were getting predominantly males, whereas because we're using the ferrets to get into the holes, we're getting predominantly females with young as well. So it's more efficient, makes a huge difference," she said. Elson said they made the most of each rabbit caught. "We can use an introduced pest, to then catch other introduced pests and then use the rabbits to give back to wildlife rescues for hawks and falcons, little owls, or other zoos. Whatever else isn't fed to our animals then goes to trapping programmes for wild cats, other ferrets, stoats, rats," she said. After each hunt, Elson and Curry filled in the rabbit holes to make sure the area was clear, then if any rabbits remained they would return under the cover of darkness for shooting. Curry said often the most challenging part of the operation was coaxing the ferrets back out, which were known to linger obstinately underground, despite wearing special tracking collars. "The stubborn ones can take a bit of work to get out," he said. A dream realised Ferrets have been a lifelong obsession for Curry, who grew up in the UK. "I'd been reading all the Farmer's Weekly magazines and various hunting magazines and books and things about ferreting for years. I always wanted to do it, but I didn't have the money or the knowledge or the land," he said. Seven years ago in Darfield, someone posted on Facebook about a chicken killer and Curry retrieved the culprit - a ferret he dubbed Colin Farrell. Two more followed and soon Curry was not just rescuing ferrets but putting them to work. "I just went 'right, sod this, I've always wanted to do it'. I ordered some trackers and then ordered purse nets from the UK. It basically started with me knocking on people's doors saying 'hi, I see you've got some rabbits. Can I come and catch them?'" he said. The pair began in Canterbury but Elson said it was a no-brainer when the opportunity arose to shift to rabbit-plagued Queenstown. Curry said the ferret flock had expanded to a star-studded line-up over time. "We have Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Jacinda Ardern, an R Kelly, a P Diddy and a Drake. And then we have a Joe Biden," he said. A persistent problem Otago Regional Council (ORC) considered rabbits one of the area's worst pests, posing a serious threat to the local biodiversity, the environment and economy. Southern Lakes Sanctuary chief executive Paul Kavanagh said they were known to let other predators thrive and tore up land and ate fertile grass, with 10 rabbits devouring the equivalent of one sheep's requirements. "In many of our ecosystems in central Otago, predator numbers are controlled by food availability. So where we get a lot of rabbits, we in turn get a lot of feral cats, stoats, ferrets, weasels," he said. He described the region's rabbit numbers as "relatively out of control". "Anecdotally, we've heard it's getting worse in some areas, especially Cromwell, places like that," he said. In 2023 the ORC discovered rabbit densities of up to 16 rabbits per square kilometre in some parts of Otago. The council said it was undertaking further rabbit night counts across the region and expected to have updated population estimates soon. Staff regularly carried out inspections across the region to identify rabbit hotspots and had helped to develop five "community rabbit management programmes" across the region, the council said. The ORC said it could help landowners tackle their rabbit problem but ultimately it was the landowners or occupiers responsibility to manage the problem.
