Maori claims blamed for lobster extinction

Press, 31 March 1989, Page 4

Maori claims blamed for lobster extinction

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

Maori claims have been blamed for threatening the extinction of New Zealand’s rock lobster fishery. The president of the Fishing Industry Association, Mr David Anderson, said injunctions placed on the Crown by the courts were preventing rock lobster, squid and mackerel coming under the individual transferable quota system. The injunction meant

no firm decision had been made as to whether rock lobsters were to come under the quota system. He said people involved in the rock lobster fishery should have historical rights protected and be paid compensation if cuts were made.

It would be quite unfair for Maoris to be allocated a percentage of the rock lobster fishery when present operators in it had not been compensated. “There is no way the fishing industry accepts the findings on the Mu-

riwhenua claim (over northern Northland fisheries) as a benchmark for the total New Zealand fisheries,” Mr Anderson said.

The association was also vigorously refuting Maori fishing claims off the South Island being put forward by the Ngai Tahu authorities.

“In fact,” he said, “in some areas of New Zealand we believe that Maori claims are negligable and cannot be supported by historical evidence.”