• A New Zealand bottom trawler caught 37kg of coral in international waters, prompting the suspension of all fishing in the area. 
• Conservationists say the incident is “shameful”, but minister Shane Jones downplayed the event and criticised the closure as “severe”. 
• The coral capture comes as Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced US$10 million [$16.7m] for coral conservation at a United Nations meeting in Colombia. 

A New Zealand bottom trawler has hauled up 37 kilograms of coral while fishing in international waters, triggering an immediate suspension of all fishing in the area until at least 2026. 

Conservationists have called the incident “shameful”, but the Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones called the closure order “severe” and downplayed the event, telling the Herald, “I wouldn’t fuss about it”. 

Nelson-based trawler Tasman Viking, owned by Westfleet Fishing Limited, was fishing in the Lord Howe Rise between New Zealand and Australia when it caught three types of coral weighing 37kg – which exceeded international limits of 15kg. 

The Tasman Viking fishing trawler is operated by Westfleet Seafoods out of Port Nelson. 

Under international fishing rules, such events prompt an immediate order to stop all fishing which is communicated to all nations that are members of the international regulator – the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation [SPRFMO]. 

A decision on when or if it will reopen won’t be made until 2026. 

The Ministry for Primary Industries confirmed the incident, telling the Herald most of the coral brought up in the trawl net was Gorgonian coral, with a small amount of black and stony coral. 

The Lord Howe Rise is a largely unexplored deep-sea plateau home to hundreds of fish species and underwater mountains or seamounts. 

Deepwater corals grow slowly, and disturbances from bottom trawling can cause irreversible damage. 

MPI’s international fisheries manager, James Brown, said SPRFMO was notified of the coral “encounter” on October 10. 

“The vessel was carrying Fisheries New Zealand observers as required and followed the correct procedure in notifying the accidental coral capture,” he said. 

Westfleet fishing chief executive Craig Boote said the crew on the Tasman Viking took swift and appropriate action after the vessel’s net brought up the coral. 

“As the coral capture triggered a vulnerable marine ecosystem encounter protocol, fishing immediately stopped, and the vessel moved to another area,” he told the Herald. 

Last year, Westfleet was fined $56,000 after the Tasman Viking failed to report it caught bamboo coral while fishing in the same area. 

A sentencing judge described what happened as a “cavalier approach to the whole area of compliance”. 

The multimillion-dollar Tasman Viking was also forfeited to the Crown, but the company paid to have it released and the vessel continued fishing in the Lord Howe Rise. 

‘A shame on our country’ 

Karli Thomas is an advocate for the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition which is focused on protecting oceans from bottom trawling and mining. Photo / Jiri Rezac Greenpeace 

Karli Thomas from the Deep-Sea Conservation Coalition said it was ludicrous the Tasman Viking, fined a year ago for illegal fishing, was given a permit to return to the same area only to pull up coral once again. 

“It’s shocking. That reflects back on New Zealand’s overall fishing industry and it’s not a good look for us and it’s not a good look for our exports.” 

She told the Herald that New Zealand was the only country still fishing in the South Pacific high seas. 

“The problem here is that the New Zealand Government is still authorising companies to go out and use this extremely destructive fishing method in areas that we know are hotspots of coral life,” she said. 

Ten New Zealand-flagged vessels have permits to fish in the SPRFMO area – four trawl vessels and six bottom longline vessels. 

Australia has permits to fish in the area but hasn’t fished there for years and other nations have also pulled out. 

“This destruction of deep-sea corals is a shame on our country,” Thomas said. 

In February, the Government backed away from supporting restrictions on bottom trawling in the South Pacific at the SPRFMO annual meeting, in a move which angered other nations and conservationists alike. 

‘I wouldn’t fuss about it too much’ 

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has criticised the order to stop all fishing as "severe". Photo / Mike Scott 

Shane Jones, who has close links to the fishing industry, downplayed the latest incident with the Tasman Viking, saying the focus should be on New Zealand businesses. 

“It’s a 37kg bunch of coral, I wouldn’t fuss about it too much. We can’t pretend that coral is more important than GDP,” he told the Herald. 

Jones said that on this occasion Westfleet followed the rules and he didn’t agree with the closure of the Lord Howe Rise fishing zone. 

“Had I ... been in a position earlier as a politician experienced in fisheries matters, I would have never agreed for these closures to be so severe.” 

He accepted he had different opinions from his international counterparts. 

“It’s important that New Zealand not surrender its rights to fish in such areas. I accept however that the preponderance of opinion by other members of SPFMO is towards 100% closure,” he said. 

He claimed a “cluster” of “highly organised” NGOs was leading an ideological crusade against fishing. 

“Safeguard these vital ecosystems” 

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced millions of dollars in funding to protect coral reefs as part of a move by the United Nations to prevent their collapse. 

While Jones was downplaying the importance of coral, his NZ First colleague and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters announced the New Zealand Government was investing US$10 million [$16.7m] to protect the slow-growing deep-sea creatures. 

At the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Colombia, New Zealand was singled out for supporting the conservation of coral reefs, which delegates said were on the “brink of collapse”. 

In a press statement, Peters said he was proud to join the Global Fund for Coral Reefs. 

“Coral reefs are vital to the health and wellbeing of coastal communities, including across our Pacific neighbourhood. New Zealand is proud to join the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, dedicated to coral reef preservation,” he said. 

The Herald asked Jones why New Zealand would fork out millions for coral conservation when he didn’t appear to be too concerned about coral dredged up in this recent incident. 

Jones said there was a need to “have balance” and the US$10m wouldn’t be available if the country wasn’t making revenue through industries like fishing. 

Karli Thomas felt the new funding announcement was contradictory. 

“This is a really hollow commitment coming from the New Zealand Government when it continues to authorise New Zealand fishing companies to go out and bottom trawl on seamounts and other vulnerable marine ecosystems.” 

Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.