5. Question No. 5—Oceans and FisheriesHon EUGENIE SAGE (Green) to the Minister for Oceans and FisheriesQuestion No. 5—Oceans and Fisheries5. Hon EUGENIE SAGE (Green) to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries: Is protecting more of Aotearoa New Zealand's oceans from overfishing a priority of his; if not why not?Hon STUART NASH (Minister for Oceans and Fisheries): Absolutely. Ensuring that New Zealand's fish stocks are sustainable and our marine environment is healthy are both high priorities of mine.Hon Eugenie Sage: What actions if any is he taking to ensure New Zealand fulfils its commitment to protecting 30 percent of the oceans by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreed to by Government last December?Hon STUART NASH: I have no doubt that member is well aware that we currently have about 9.5 percent of our territorial sea in marine reserves and in addition to that we protect over 30 percent under a variety of protection measures.Hon Eugenie Sage: Does he believe New Zealand needs to step up efforts on ocean protection in light of the recent international agreement to protect 30 percent of the high seas by 2030; if so will he stop issuing permits for New Zealand vessels to bottom trawl in international waters in the South Pacific?Hon STUART NASH: That isn't a measure that I have considered but I firmly believe that New Zealand's global brand is wedded to the way that we fish our fisheries in a sustainable manner—it's one of the reasons I'm a huge fan of putting cameras on fishing boats. It's not just about the integrity of the catch; it's about the brand value that we sell overseas.Hon Eugenie Sage: In the light of his concern about Aotearoa New Zealand's global brand is he concerned that bottom trawling in New Zealand waters creates risks for our seafood exports to overseas markets in the light of last year's ban on importing fish caught in Māui dolphin habitat by the United States Court of International Trade and if not why not?Hon STUART NASH: The member is also well aware that there is a bottom trawling forum that's been set up with environmental NGOs (ENGOs) and also representatives from the fishing industry. I have seen the recommendations; needless to say they all agreed that things need to change but they're a little bit far apart in terms of their recommendations. In terms of the Māui dolphin ban I was quite surprised with regard to that—and no doubt the former Minister of Conservation was herself because I was the Minister of Fisheries and that member was the Minister of Conservation and we put a number of measures in place to protect the Māui dolphin habitat.Hon Eugenie Sage: Will he act to protect our oceans for future generations and ban bottom trawling on sea mounts in our waters and if not why not and when can we expect action on the recommendations of the group?Hon STUART NASH: I'm yet to consider those recommendations. I have read them but I need to respond. As mentioned the forum set up did contain ENGOs did contain the industry there are a series of recommendations. In the end they couldn't agree but they all agreed that things needed to change. I think that's a very good start.Hon Eugenie Sage: Can New Zealanders expect to see any progress before the election to update and replace our 50-year-old marine protected area legislation; if not why not?Hon STUART NASH: I'll be meeting with the new Minister of Conservation and we'll be talking about a number of things. I've always been clear that I think it's a priority to move forward with our marine protected areas but whether we do that under legislation before the election is something for the Minister—probably the Minister of the House to consider.