NZ fishing industry addicted to near slave labour

Michael Field

Fishing industry addiction to aging foreign fishing boats has been disclosed in new official papers showing that their poorly paid Asian crews, many suffering appalling abuse, now catch two-thirds of the nation’s deep-water fish.

Over the last five fishing seasons, foreign charter vessels (FCVs) have caught $1.7 billion dollars worth of fish.

While Maori iwi are cited as being part of the operations of FCVs in the government paper, Sunday Star-Times investigations show that the president of the National Party, Peter Goodfellow, is also a beneficiary of the trade through substantial ownership in fishing company Sanford.

Meanwhile prominent whale hunting lobbyist Glenn Inwood, believed to be acting for Korean fishing companies, is using New Zealand’s Official Information Act (OIA) in a bid to find out where the University of Auckland and this newspaper is obtaining its information on FCVs.

The Business School and the Star-Times have this year uncovered virtual slave like labour conditions inflicted on around 2000 mainly Asian men prompting the government to eventually launch a ministerial inquiry.

A Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) inquiry briefing paper, obtained by the Star-Times, reveals government agents charged with regulating the vessels prefer instead “a strong emphasis on educating and assisting the commercial sector to comply”.

MFish refused our OIA request for data on whether observers aboard FCVs were seeing illegal activities, but wording in the briefing paper concedes procedures such as “high grading” or throwing caught fish overboard in the hope of getting better fish later is taking place.

The paper says observers collect biological information “but additional coverage may be required on FCVs to monitor the vessel’s compliance with the act.”

MFish says 26 FCVs (13 from South Korea , Ukraine (4), Japan (7) and Dominica (2) “act on behalf of New Zealand companies, not in place of them….

“In some cases FCVs are part of a wider business relationship between a New Zealand seafood company and an overseas enterprise.”

Nineteen of the 45 boats working nine main species in deep water are FCVs, taking two thirds of the volume and 40 percent of the total commercial harvest of all species in the quota management system.

“The average vessel age of the current FC fleet is 26 years, compared to 23 years for the deepwater domestic fleet.”

Each year MFish strikes an annual total allowable catch and those holding quota are then given that year’s “annual catch entitlements” (ACE)

The briefing paper says the system means that many Maori iwi end up with small size ACE.

“Selling ACE on the open market is viewed by many iwi as the best way to use these assets.”

Sanford, who last year held 23.54 percent of the total quota, use four Korean FCVs and five of their own boats to work the deepwater.

In their latest report Sanford say they “work with officials to counter the ill-informed and politically motivated demonising” of FCVs.

Goodfellow and his brother William are on the Sanford board, each receiving an annual fee of $47,500.

Thirty seven percent of Sanford stock is held by Amalgamated Dairies Ltd, a Goodfellow family controlled company.

Peter Goodfellow owns in his own name Sanford stock worth, on Friday values, $623,000.

An Asian seaman aboard an FCV can, if treated properly, earn around $11,600 a year or less than a quarter of Goodfellow’s fee.

Goodfellow did not respond to emails or messages for comment.

The latest issue of Professional Skipper magazine said the ministerial inquiry should not amount to a “quick sweep under the table” and said it expected Goodfellow “will now step aside (as party president) and distance himself because of a potential conflict of interest”.

Glen Innwood’s company, Omeka Communications of Wellington, last month wrote to the University of Auckland saying it was subjected to the OIA and that he wanted emails, letters and other forms of communications between the Star-Times, among others, and the Business School researchers who wrote a major study, “Not in New Zealand Waters, Surely?”

He also wanted to find out who funded the study.

Known for his advocacy for Japanese whaling, he was asked who he was acting for in making the OIA requests.

He replied with a cartoon he drew of dog droppings.

“Unfortunately, overnight one of the stray dogs in the alley behind the office sneaked in through an open window and took a large dump beneath a colleague's desk,” Inwood wrote.

“I am now required to lean back in my chair, put my feet up on my desk and sip hot coffee while laughing at their predicament. As you will surely agree, this needs my full and undivided attention and I won't be able to find time to reply to your email.”

One of the authors of the university study, Glenn Simmons, says Inwood’s OIA request is an “obvious assault to discover the identities of those participants who have ‘blown the whistle’ on the fisheries industry.”

Inwood had previously issued press statements for Oyang Corporation which last year saw one of its ships, Oyang 70, sink with the loss of six men off the New Zealand coast.

Simmons said investigators acting for unknown people were interviewing survivors in Jakarta , while private investigators in Auckland were questioning MFish observers.

“Inwood’s request is outrageous,” Simmons says.

“Even if it were official information, which I deny, the release of any research material would undoubtedly have a very intrusive and chilling effect on the free and frank discourse between researchers and particularly with participants, which is essential for academic freedom.”

September 18, 2011