Shane Jones cites the dangers that come with “the court of TikTok” as the reason he wants to keep footage collected on fishing boats out of the public’s hands.
The Fisheries Minister is proposing a range of changes to the Fisheries Act to “remove unnecessary regulations that impede productivity and the potential of the sector”. One of the proposals aims to prevent the release of what’s filmed on commercial fishing vessels through the Official Information Act.
Jones told Q+A he didn’t agree with having on-board cameras in the first place, but that he had lost that argument.
“I do not accept state surveillance of industry,” he said.
“Now, I know that’s a rhetorical stance to put forward, but I’m going to tell you right now I’m going to advocate as much as possible that camera footage be reserved for the state to undertake prosecutorial, regulatory, and educational [activities].”
It was the state’s place to make judgments about what was in the recordings, “not people burning bonfires and not Salem trials”, Jones said.
He added: “I don’t believe [the footage] should be recklessly or indiscriminately shoved on TikTok.”
When asked what he was worried people were going to see, or why the footage couldn’t be released with people’s faces blurred, he repeated that it was up to regulators to use the footage and not the public.
After the rollout of on-board cameras on commercial vessels, reported bycatch increased massively in a short space of time, according to data released by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
Jones was asked why it took surveillance to get a different picture of what was happening on fishing boats.
He said it was a “dynamic situation”.
“It’s a wildlife industry. You always get a few indiscretions…no one goes out there to deliberately catch a dolphin.”
The rollout of cameras on fishing boats faced delays under the Labour-NZ First Government. A wider rollout began in 2022 and is ongoing.
Conservation organisation WWF said Jones’ proposed changes undermined the sustainability and resilience of New Zealand’s commercial fisheries.
“Having cameras on boats provides much better reporting data, which is required to underpin an adaptive management approach,” WWF New Zealand CEO Kayla Kingdon-Bebb said.
“It is essential for helping us better manage our commercial fisheries and the threats to our native species, and ensuring public and consumer confidence that our shared marine resources are being used responsibly.”
Q+A with Jack Tame is made with the support of NZ On Air