Coming from a commercial fishing background, Shields said allowing more species to be landed would not address the underlying problem. “The problem is not commercial fishing – our people need to eat,” he said. “The problem is the system and what’s allowed.”Shields said at the centre of that system was bottom trawling. Shields said fish caught in bottom-trawl nets are often crushed or hauled rapidly to the surface from deep water, making their survival on release unlikely. Many common trawl bycatch species do not take baited hooks, meaning they are far less likely to be caught and killed in the first place.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 12, 2026 11:21 UTC