Seafood New Zealand Offers Hope And Answers To The Challenges Of David Attenborough's Ocean Film
'Happy Birthday Sir David – Our Gift to You'
The group representing New Zealand's commercial fishing sector says what we do in Aotearoa can be an inspiration to the rest of the world.
Legendary and beloved broadcaster David Attenborough can be seen in movie theatres across the world today, telling the story of his and others' deep concerns about the impact of overfishing and destructive fishing techniques. The film 'Ocean' also offers hope and prospective solutions, holding up marine protected areas as a method that will allow the oceans to bounce back.
In Aotearoa, Seafood New Zealand says the film is a deeply moving summary of the impacts of the worst extremes of commercial fishing, but professional fishing in New Zealand has many examples to offer which address Sir David's concerns.
Seafood New Zealand CEO Lisa Futschek says 'we have learned from experience. We had more than 100 years of open access fishing. We saw where that led.
'In 2025, things are very different here. For almost four decades we have had a strictly enforced Quota Management System which puts restrictions on how much fish can be taken and from where. Under this system, fish stocks have bounced back. In fact, science tells us that 97% of our stocks by volume are at sustainable levels.
'We certainly can't claim to be perfect, far from it, but we can directly address some of the concerns that Sir David raises. In fact, we hoped that the story of how commercial fishing is done in New Zealand could be the sort of good news a global treasure like Sir David needs on his 99th birthday.'
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For example, the film lobbies for a third of our oceans to be in marine protection. It is also most concerned about the impact of bottom trawling. New Zealand is already there, having 30% of its waters protected in Benthic Protection Areas. Bottom contact fishing is banned in these areas, which were created at the request of the commercial fishing community.
Lisa says 'the film also shows great concern about the impact of large-scale commercial fishing on local communities and indigenous people. Here in New Zealand, fishing is the lifeblood of rural centres from Whangārei to Bluff. Places like Westport, Nelson and New Plymouth are where jobs are created and communities benefit. We can also proudly say that thanks to Māori fisheries settlements and the Māori Fisheries Act of 2004, we have over 40% of fishing quota in Māori ownership.'
'Ocean' is also concerned about subsidies for commercial fishing. New Zealand was global leader in removing fisheries subsidies back in the '80s as part of a broader economic reform and to promote sustainable fishing practices.
Lisa says 'the film talks about the ability of our oceans to bounce back. Our people have seen that here with our own eyes. Management has been the solution. We hope our experiences and the lessons we've learned can be a gift, not just to Sir David, but to the rest of the world.
'Yes, we still have work to do to continue to reduce bycatch and we are constantly making advances with this. New Zealand fishermen have been inventive, coming up with devices such as new weighted hooks, different types of nets including net replacements such as FloMo, a technology which has been years in development and is now trialling a way to alert a fisher if a marine mammal is caught and then open the fishing gear underwater, to allow that mammal to swim free.
'We do things differently here in Aotearoa and we would love Sir David to pay us a visit and see how our people operate. But first we invite New Zealanders to get to know how we fish, the day-to-day realities beyond the headlines or the stories of when things do occasionally go wrong. We think Kiwis will feel proud when they see the full story.'
New Zealanders are invited to view local footage of trawling and other fishing practices here.
Fast Facts – Key Data about New Zealand Commercial Fishing
· New Zealand's commercial wild capture fisheries are worth $1.6 billion in export revenue
· Our seafood sector produces $2.2 billion in export revenue in total (including aquaculture)
· 16,500 Kiwis are employed either directly or indirectly in seafood
· Fisheries management is complex – there are 642 fish stocks under management
(see MPI data).
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