With contentious fisheries reforms on hold, should NZ rethink bottom trawling?

Aotearoa has an opportunity to step back from the immediate political debate and consider what balance it wants to strike between seafood production and the long-term health of its oceans, writes marine science professor Simon Thrush. The government’s controversial Fisheries…

Jason Alden/Bloomberg/Getty Images The government’s controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill has reignited debate over New Zealand’s most common – and most controversial – commercial fishing method. Bottom trawling involves commercial fishing boats dragging large, heavy nets…