Foreigners’ fish sales ‘hurt’ N.Z.

Press, 1 July 1978, Page 4

Foreigners’ fish sales ‘hurt’ N.Z.

Russian and South Korean sales of fish caught in New Zealand waters to third countries was hurting the country’s fishing industry, the president of the Seafood Processors’ Association (Mr R. T. Mackay) said at the association’s conference in Christchurch yesterday.

I The association and the: Fishing Industry Board were 1 trying to persuade the Gov[ernment to curtail foreign, [fishing in New Zealand: waters until this stopped, he! said. The New Zealand fishing industry was in danger of I being put in the same posi-: tion as agriculture: having plenty of produce but being unable, to sell it because of the unscrupulous trading behaviour of other countries, Mr Mackay said. This meant that the marketing of New Zealand’s fish overseas would require great expertise, he said.

In spite of this, he op- : ! posed taking marketing out of the hands of the produc- :, ers, and of private enter- i [prise. ! “We have seen instances where the marketing of agri-, [cultural produce has been! [handled by producer hoards j to disastrous effect,” Mr Mackay said. In 1977, fishing-industry | exports brought New Zea-J , land $50.3M, or SI2M more! than the year before, Mr; Mackay said. In the first three months of this year. | exports were up 32 per cent! on value on the same; months of 1977. He supported the optimis-

■|tic belief that, given 2( [[years, New Zealand would •Icome into its own in t I world which would be crying out for all the agricultural produce the country [could export, Mr Mackay II said. : The association's conferfence began yesterday withlout some of the 70 dele[gates, and without several of [the speakers. All had been [held up in other centres by [the southerly storm which has swept the country. ’ The Minister of Fisheries [(Mr Bolger) who was tc ;have opened the conference was one of those kept away 'by the weather.