New Zealand's Government has passed an amendment bill which seeks to strengthen the regulation of foreign-owned commercial fishing vessels operating in New Zealand waters.
Known as the Fisheries (Foreign Charter Vessels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, the bill requires all foreign charter vessels to be flagged in New Zealand from May 2016, as well as operate under full New Zealand legal jurisdiction.
"This bill shows that we are serious about the fair treatment of fishing crews, the safety of vessels and New Zealand's international reputation for ethical and sustainable fishing practices," commented New Zealand's Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy.
"This will give us full jurisdiction over areas like employment and labour conditions on vessels fishing in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It will help ensure fair standards for all fishing crews working in our waters."
As well as requiring all vessels to be flagged in New Zealand, the bill enables the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to consider employment, pollution/waste discharge issues, vessel safety matters as well as fisheries matters when assessing applications for registration of foreign-owned fishing vessels.
Additionally, the bill confers new powers to suspend the registration of non-compliant foreign-owned fishing vessels.