Scott Macindoe: LegaSea stands for the rapid restoration of NZ inshore fisheries and future generations getting a fair go!

Interviewed by Tim LynchJuly 12, 2017
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After 30 years and repeated examples of dysfunction including reports of widespread labour abuse, fish dumping, misreporting, and monopoly institutional
stagnation, the time is right to return to the basic principles of managing New Zealand’s natural resources for the benefit of the nation.

With an nationwide election on the horizon we the people are having to decide how our precious marine resources are going to be managed, now that we know
that the Ministry of Primary Industries refuses to listen to the People.

Scott as a spokesman for LegaSea - a public outreach that wants to go beyond the 35,000 fishing club members in 58 clubs and talk to the vast number of
people who either love fishing - do a bit of fishing or get a few fish that they share with their neighbours or just like the idea of having abundant
in shore coastal fisheries.

This is what they have been doing over the last 5 years communicating with fisherfolk. They also encourage people to make contributions so as to share
the load as they look towards taking care of NZ’s spectacular marine environment so that everyone can both enjoy and fish from.

The challenge is to engage with complex NZ Governmental Ministry led management, processes. Especially the world’s leading internationally acclaimed ‘quota
management system’ - which most recreational fishermen will know is far from the truth. Most in the know realise it is a farce. Listen to this interview.
plus Previous interview with Scott.

LegaSea’s database has 45,000 subscribers and growing as fisherfolk realise that recreational fishing are being squeezed out by the NZ’s National Government's
Ministry of Primary Industries - lock stepped with industrial fishing.

Scott tells of working in cooperation with the NZ Sport Fishing Council and having to take the Minister and Ministry of Primary Industries (the Government)
to the High Court, the Appeal Court and then the Supreme Court in the 2005, 6, 7, 8, and 9 journey, where certain Governmental and Ministry activities
were regarded as illegal and poorly conceived management practices for the plentiful kahawai the ubiquitous peoples fish where the Law came out on
the side of the righteous and not the Government - thank you Justice Reese Harrison and thank you Chief Justice Sian Elias for the superb judgements
that full costs were awarded in the NZ Sports Fishing Council’s favour. Note neither of the above two Governmental parties appealed!

Sadly Sanford’s and Sealord’s the big two industrial fishing Corporations - because they are very well financed did what they continue to do, but what
came out of this, is this:

The Supreme Court ruled that ‘the Minister’ shall allow for public interests and recreational interests - and may set the total allowable commercial catch
at zero! - if he or she is reasonable.

(Question: What type of Government is it, that ‘the people’ have to take their own elected servants to the Highest Court of the Land to get them to come
to heal? )

LegaSea are wanting to:

Establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry

Objectives:

    1. Examine fisheries management and policy settings to better understand.
      1. Why there is insufficient abundance of fisheries inshore to satisfy public interests in fishing and conservation.
      2. What management and policy changes are required to enable decision makers to act in a more precautionary manner.
    2. Review the Quota Management System to identify –
      1. Blockages to restoring inshore fish stocks to abundant levels.
      2. Structures that perpetuate monopolistic behaviour by quota shareholders.
      3. Barriers to innovation in fishing methods and technology.

We need to redefine the purpose of fisheries development and establish institutions and instruments that achieve the environmental, economic, social, and
cultural benefits due to all New Zealanders from the use of our natural marine resources.

Nothing less than a Royal Commission!

To allow Recreational Fishers to have restored public confidence in the management of our inshore fisheries.

(Tim countered - with the importance of a ‘neutral selection process’ for this Royal Commission - that they select the appropriate prospect - not jobs
for the boys - like retired ‘well connected’ business people or politicians who have been put out to pasture. Because these ‘commissioners’ would be,
taking home $1500 a day to sit and mull over what decisions to take, that will not necessarily be in the fishing industry’s interests).

It was ventured and stated that it was fair to say that the incumbent National Government of today is very closely aligned with the commercial sector -
and a Royal Commission of Enquiry - to get this momentum over the line - against the run of play - is a must! - full stop! -

Citizens Initiated Referendum

LegaSea are giving serious consideration to initiating a Citizens Initiated Referendum - which in 18 months could give us an answer - an unbinding one
- but it would let NZ know what the general consensus is regarding our ocean taonga. (treasure).

Recently the CEO of Seafood NZ a representative organisation of all sectors wrote in an update:

"That the proportion of New Zealanders who felt the industry’s reputation has deteriorated compared to the 12 months earlier increased from 10% in 2015
to 17% in 2016.

Those deteriorating public perceptions put us in a dangerous position the lead-up to a critical general election with a resurgent Opposition aligned with
environmentalists that may be unsympathetic to fishing.

We have already seen Government policies out of left field around marine protected areas that impact on fishing space.

The best way to keep the politicians out of our industry and secure our property and customary rights is to enhance our social licence. If the public are
reassured that we are good people doing good things for the benefit of all New Zealanders, the political parties will see no reward in challenging
that.

To that end, work is well advanced on a communications campaign aimed at influencing public opinion.

It will go public in July, based on prime time television promise to protect our precious ocean resources.”

The above is the way the Fishing Industry is going to soften you up, the unsuspecting NZ public.

  1. Allocation Principle to Guide Decisions

The other urgent reform is a new Allocation Principle to be added the Fisheries Act. This Principle would guide Ministerial allocation decisions and be
based on a commitment made by Labour Minister Colin Moyle, Minister of Fisheries, in 1989. This commitment is commonly referred to as Moyle’s Promise

“Where a species of fish is not sufficiently abundant to support both commercial and non-commercial fishing, preference will be given to non-commercial
fishing.

This position reflects Government’s resolve to ensure all New Zealanders can enjoy and benefit from our fisheries.”

This Allocation Principle needs to be added to section 10 of the Fisheries Act 1996 to achieve the following outcomes:

  1. Encourage fisheries to be managed at higher, safer levels.
  2. Demonstrate a clear disincentive and consequence to commercial overfishing and depletion.
  3. Guide Ministerial decisions so a more precautionary approach can be taken.

Bottom Line

The bottom line is that commercial fisheries are wanting more fish. And the recreational fisher folk are basically getting in the way.

Scott states emphatically that:

The inshore zone needs respite care. Benthic (seabed) diversity and abundance needs restoring, and the priority needs to be to remove all industrial methods.

A century of ever-expanding use of heavy, bottom contact mobile gear has changed the seafloor from a thriving benthic community of organisms to a desert
of fine silt. This silt is resuspended and distributed further each time mobile, industrial fishing gear is towed across the sea floor.

The Government needs to: Remove industrial fishing methods such as the appalling trawling, Danish seining and dredging, from the inshore zone. LISTEN TO
SCOTT Tell it as it is.

$1.8 billion for export fish receipts = 300,000 tonnes caught.

Recreational fishers take approximately 10,000 tonnes = 10,000, thousand kilos = 10 million kilos of fish.

With NZ public participation of around 600,000 Kiwis who participate are spending approximately one thousand million dollars of which $130 million dollars
is GST plus another $35 million dollars of PAYE from the 8,000 plus jobs that are generated by recreational fishing - that compares to the 20,000 jobs
in the commercial sector - remember they are catching 94% of the fish taken each year.

Scott tongue in cheek states that when it is all financially sorted we the recreational fisher is paying about $20 per kilo of fish caught and then we
give it away, we share with friends and neighbours. Saying there is a deep need to express ‘manaakitanga’ - the generosity of giving and sharing …

Bottom Trawling Needs to be Outlawed

Scott then tells of how the bottom trawlers drag across the seafloor surface destroying any possible semblance of an aquatic garden where fish live, and
survive - turning it into a desolate area of total destruction that has never seen such devastation for possibly millions of years … mega millions
of tiny little organisms and layer upon layer of sea creatures getting larger as the food chain increases up to the upper level fish.

The swath that is left, just wipes everything out into a desert of swirling silt and mud with visibility zeroed out and the surviving fish and other organisms
somehow have to start all over again within a destroyed underwater sea garden. Knocking out huge numbers of ecological sensitive organisms whilst those
in the trawler above have no idea whatsoever - of the holocaust they are causing down below.

Listen to Scott describe what is really happening. The Indiscriminate uncaring harvesting and when the net gets brought up on the deck - any fish not in
the ‘quota’ are dumped over the side - in most cases already dead to float and rot and eventually sink.

Trevally are very NZ fishy story

Trevally, 800 tonnes of trevally are being exported year after year, after year - whole - frozen - no added value, no GST - full container loads to Saudi
Arabia, France and the United Kingdom - at what price? We here in NZ are paying around $12-00 a kilo but overseas we are giving it away at $2.70 cents
and that’s a peak price. Where as trevally is one of the best fish on earth to eat as sushi. Japanese people living in NZ cannot believe their good
fortune here.

Kahawai are being exported after being trawled up by the industrial Danish seiner fleets here in NZ. To be sold less than $5-00 a kilo is an insult - but
is being sold for $1.70 to the Africans - the Cameroon and the Côte d’Ivoire, (the Ivory Coast).

This is not acceptable - if we cannot get more than $5-00 a kilo - leave it in the sea so that is can reproduce and double its size over a few years.

Crayfish (kura) are now in crisis - they are disappearing and depleting … along the East Coast North of Whangarei down to East Cape covering hundreds
of kilometres.

The word depletion came up in tandem with ‘Sustainable’ as Scott sees that sustainable fisheries is not concerned about the sustainability of fish stock
and the marine ecology - only that the fishing industry can sustain itself - whatever the costs.

Listen to Scot tell it as it is. Explaining the giant lie that is the ‘Quota Management System. (like clean green NZ) He calls it sustainable depletion
and is the Government’s name of the game.

This commercial fishing juggernaut in their submissions are consistently saying ‘more, more, more, more While the non commercial fishers position - are
consistently prepared to say less, less, less, less and we are willing to come to the table … and talk about how they can constrain ourselves
and shift our attitudes, expectations and behaviour to generate a rebuild and have abundance … Yet, there is only one side willing to come to
the table!

To get involved with LegaSea

Send: Scott [at] legasea.co.nz an email or 021 macindoe = 622463 and have a Chat and get in touch with reliable, professional courteous - ‘Less is more’
- regular updates.

NOTE:

We now have the NZ Government asking the Department of Primary Industries to double NZ’s export of fish by 2025 (same for Dairy exports). This is not taking
into account at all the ecology and the environment that produces this abundance.

Amend the Fisheries Act

It is imperative to amend the Fisheries Act to remove the maximum sustainable yield.

The attitude of bulk harvesting and freezing and marketing in containers is pure idiocy - there is no respect of nature’s process, for the fish population
or nature itself. Everything is up for grabs. = Neoliberal Economics - winner takes all.

Home Support

LegaSea now has over 400 business and affiliate organisations here in NZ supporting them and the NZ Sport Fishing Council because they know if there is
no inshore fish to catch they will suffer …

ITM all 100 outlets are behind Legasea - Hunting & Fishing - Yamaha & Honda & Shimano and Rod And Reel - Burns Co

FreeFishheads.co.nz - this is big! 20,000 people have there name down for a free feed. Scott thanked
Matt Watson for making it happen. Go on line and put your name down - this way you can feed you family after a quick road trip to a beach near you
and pick up some free fish heads and frames.

Check Papatuanuku kokiri marae in Mangere who have collected 6,000 kilograms of heads, frames and offal and taken it and ‘tidied it up’ and this rangitara
kai has been given to needy appreciative people - the offal buried in their gardens.

This is a very social and community oriented project that is successful.

Check out www.fishcare.org - for best practice - how to handle a fish how to best utilise such fish.

0800 legacy

https://www.legasea.co.nz

When you are truth teller and are prepared to break with convention to get your message out at great personal sacrifice - spare a thought for the continuous
courage of Scott Macindoe. This was as usual a very powerful and potent interview that will never get to MSM (Main Stream Media) as you will now know
they are basically only aligned with the ‘commercial sector' - as in the US and elsewhere.

http://www.ourplanet.org/greenplanetfm/scott-macindoe-are-we-about-to-see-the-end-of-recreational-fishing-in-new-zealand

To those reading this semi transcription, I apologise - Doing the interview and recording, editing and transcription is a labour of love - it’s all voluntary - so if it seems a little wordy and convoluted - please know that everything you have seen and listened to here has been done in the spirit of goodwill and the best of intentions. Naku noa Tim

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Tim Lynch

Tim Lynch, is a New Zealander, who is fortunate in that he has whakapapa, or a bloodline that connects him to the Aotearoan Maori. He has been involved as an activist for over 40 years - within the ecological, educational, holistic, metaphysical, spiritual & nuclear free movements. He sees the urgency of the full spectrum challenges that are coming to meet us, and is putting his whole life into being an advocate for todays and tomorrows children. 'To Mobilise Consciousness.'

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