Seafood exports may earn $600M

Press, 2 July 1985, Page 13

Seafood exports may earn $600M

PA Auckland New Zealand’s seafood exports this year could earn a record $6OO million, according to the chairman of the Fishing Industry Board, Mr Mark Hinchliff.

The first-quarter results of $122 million showed the record figure was possible, he said.

Earnings of valuable species such as squid, hoki and orange roughy would show up in other quarters. Mr Hinchliff said seafood exports earned ?450 million last year or 5 per cent of the country’s export earnings. The fishing industry is

also becoming an increasingly big employer, with a total wage bill last year of $35,270,000, according to the results of the 1984 census of the industry. This is an increase of 50.9 per cent on the 1981 census, which showed the industry paying out $23,366,000 in salaries and wages. In 1984 the industry supported 2227 paid employees, 30.5 per cent more than in 1981, as well as 1934 working proprietors and partners, compared with 1477 in 1981.

Salaries paid to working proprietors and partners amounted to $4,144,000.

The employee figure excludes crew members of joint-fishing ventures, which totalled 2195.

The growing “New Zealandisation” of the industry is reflected in the fact that $2,393,000 was paid in salaries and wages to foreign crews working for New Zealand companies — compared with $6 million in 1981.

The number of joint ventures between New Zealand and foreign fishing companies dropped 21 per cent to 18 during the three years. Their activities were restricted to bottom trawling and squid jigging.