Dead fish near Great Barrier Island

Request under the Official Information Act 1982

Hello,
This request is made under the Official Information Act 1982.
Recent public reporting and video evidence of a trail of dead fish near Great Barrier Island / the Hauraki Gulf has raised serious concerns regarding commercial fishing practices, including the bulk capture and discard of undersized and non-target fish.
Given MPI’s statutory responsibility to ensure sustainability of fisheries, I request the following information.

1. Great Barrier / Hauraki Gulf incident

1.1 The date MPI/Fisheries New Zealand first became aware of the reported incident involving multiple species of dead fish.

1.2 A description of all actions taken to date in response, including vessel identification methods, camera review, catch reporting review, and the current status of any investigation.

1.3 Confirmation of whether on-board cameras were required on the relevant vessel(s) at the time and whether footage exists and has been reviewed.

2. Discards, undersize catch, and mortality

2.1 For the last five fishing years, data on total commercial landings, reported commercial discards, and estimated discard mortality by species and area.

2.2 An explanation of how MPI verifies the accuracy of discard reporting in commercial trawl fisheries.

2.3 Identification of any thresholds used to determine non-compliance or sustainability risk.

3. Camera monitoring and enforcement

3.1 For the last three years, the proportion of fishing events subject to camera review and the selection methodology.

3.2 Copies of internal policies or SOPs used to assess illegal discarding or undersize capture.

3.3 The number of enforcement actions arising from camera evidence in the last five years.

4. Enforcement prioritisation and comparative impact

4.1 Compliance actions taken against recreational, customary, small-scale commercial, and industrial trawl operators over the last five years.

4.2 Any internal analysis assessing whether enforcement aligns with ecological impact rather than ease of enforcement.

4.3 Documents discussing enforcement prioritisation relating to industrial or foreign-linked fishing operations.

5. Foreign ownership, quota, and contractual arrangements

5.1 Overview of foreign ownership or control of quota in the relevant fisheries.

5.2 Copies of contracts or policy frameworks governing foreign charter vessels.

5.3 Explanation of additional monitoring or enforcement applied to foreign-linked operators.

6. Corrective action and management response

6.1 Corrective actions MPI considers effective when bulk discard mortality is detected.

6.2 Any internal reviews evaluating whether current discard management meets sustainability obligations.

7. Comparative enforcement context

7.1 Documents showing how enforcement intensity is determined for non-commercial marine activity.

7.2 Explanation of how MPI ensures enforcement is proportionate to environmental impact.

Form of release

I am happy to receive information in electronic or spreadsheet format. If any part of this request is refused, please specify the grounds relied upon under the OIA and release the remainder.
Tracy