Heatley Phil: Aquaculture Reform Bill — Second Reading Instructions to Committee In Committee 
Heatley Phil: Aquaculture Reform Bill — Second Reading Instructions to Committee In Committee 
[Volume:622;Page:17727] 
PHIL HEATLEY (National—Whangarei) 
: 
 I will continue on from my previous speech regarding the tension between the interests of commercial fishers and the interests of marine farmers. I pointed out that the Ministry of Fisheries in making an aquaculture decision is to be focused only on spatial issues; that is how a marine farm or an aquaculture management area will spatially affect commercial fishing interests—how much commercial fishers will be displaced from a particular area by marine-farming activity so that they no longer have access to a fishing resource. We were particularly interested in submitters who talked about scallops simply because there is an enhancement programme in which the farmers seed scallops they grow and recreationalists have access to those scallops as do the commercial fishers. There is a concern that that enhancement programme could seriously be affected by marine farms and the industry developing excessively in that area. That was a good point made to us by submitters. Also inshore fisheries representatives such as flounder fishers put up a good case as did others that would be affected. 
The regional council on the other hand takes an aquaculture decision and lays upon it consideration of the effect that marine farms have on commercial fishing with regard to environmental impacts. Those environmental impacts might somehow affect water quality—because clearly if marine farming in any way deteriorates water quality and that affects the fish that will have an adverse affect on commercial fishing. If marine farms in some way are affecting spawning or stock development then that will adversely affect the fishery and commercial fishers as well. 
We raised a particular concern at the select committee and we have raised it again here tonight—perhaps the Minister in the chair David Benson-Pope would like to take a call on it—which is the issue of regional councils actually having the ability to measure the environmental impacts on commercial fish species. We know that the Ministry of Fisheries often subcontracts research to the National Institute of Atmospheric and Water Research on the environmental effects on commercial fishing species in various areas around New Zealand but where are regional councils to get that skill base from? Are they going to contract out? They will have to because currently no regional council in New Zealand—even Northland Regional Council which is far in the lead when it comes to aquaculture development and research—has staff skilled in that area. [ 
Interruption 
] The Minister suggests that the Ministry of Fisheries will be contracting to regional councils— 
Hon David Benson-Pope 
: The Ministry of Fisheries will be providing that support. 
PHIL HEATLEY 
: The Minister chipped in to suggest that the Ministry of Fisheries will be supplying that service to regional councils. Well I hope that the Minister’s assurance does come to pass. Regional councils certainly do not have the staff skills scientists or research base at the moment to measure the environmental effects on spawning on stock development on whole fishery development on the interaction between various fisheries aquaculture and marine farms and so on and so forth. 
So I thank the Minister for that and I put it to the Committee that there is a promise there from him as the Minister of Fisheries that his ministry will be available to regional councils and I hope that that is the case. My concern is that if all the regional councils or a fair number of them come to the ministry all at one time I hope that it has the ability to meet that scientific need. Certainly there will be a demand for that as required in this legislation.