Attacks on Govt for fishing quotas

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 3

Attacks on Govt for fishing quotas

Parliamentary reporter The Labour and Social Credit parties have attacked the Government for failing to include the Federation of Commercial Fishermen among the nine companies given trawling rights for deep-water fish. The federation represents the owners of smaller fishing boats. ' , Labour's spokesman on primary production, Sir Basil Arthur, said the Government had favoured the few and had ignored the federation’s legitimate claims. The allocations announced on Wednesday were for 10 years, which meant that the companies given trawling rights would monopolise the industry, Sir Basil said. The reintroduction of the duty-free import scheme was the only.part of the policy that would encourage New - Zealanders in the fishing industry. The Government- was

“haphazardly” trying to put together a policy to train: New Zealanders to fish deep waters, but had failed to give any encouragement or incentive to companies to hire New Zealand workers, said Sir Basil. , Mr G. 7 T. Knapp, Social Credit’s deputy leader, said that by denying the federation a share of the prime deep-water species, the Gov-’ ernment' had deserted the

small business man for the “big cheque books.” “Three companies now command 64 per cent of the total quota, leaving six others to pick up the balance,” he said. The federation had hoped for 23 per cent of the resource to establish a. fisherman’s co-operative, but had received nothing. It was not in the long-term interests of the New Zealand fishing industry for two or three monopoly interests to gain total control of the deep-sea resources, Mr Knapp said. “The New Zealand deepsea resource should be developed on a co-operative basis to maximise its potential in catching, processing, ' and

marketing.” Mr Knapp said the dairy industry was an ideal model for the future of the fishing industry. From Nelson, the Press Association reports Mr Howard Stone, secretary of the fishermen’s federation, as saying that the Government’s deep-sea allocation will mean the end of the little man in the fishing industry. Mr Stone said that Government mismanagement of the inshore fishery had cut off its development, and the latest decision took away any opportunity in the deep-water fishery. The" Government had im-

posed a sales tax on fuel oil. and a sales tax on replacement equipment. The rate on winches for forestry was 10 per cent, against 30 per cent for fishermen. Mandatory r . vessel survey fees were designed to secure a profit for a Government department; it cost up to $250 an hour for a marine surveyor. A system of joint ventures allowed no-risk profits to, be creamed off by privileged New Zealand entrepreneurs instead of being reinvested in fishing. “The public should know that 130,000 tonnes of public resource worth about $lOO million in overseas markets is being handed over to private companies to exploit as. they wish,” Mr Stone said. . The federation will make further representations to the Government. Mr Peter Talley, managing director Of Talley’s fisheries, Nelson, said yesterday that the allocations would create an extra 300 jobs in the Nelson industry over the next two to three years. “Three companies have been allocated 38 per cent of the total deep-water stocks, firmly establishing Nelson as New Zealand’s premier' fishing port,” he said. > .In the allocations, Amaltal, owned jointly by Talleys and Amalgamated Marketing, Ltd, receives 8.3 per cent.