Just 1% think bottom trawling should continue

Just 1% of New Zealanders think bottom trawling of the country's inshore fisheries should be allowed to continue.

But while some 58% of adults thinking bottom trawling is not allowed inshore - it is.

When told it is allowed, 57% want it to stop.

These are the findings of a nationwide Horizon Research survey of 1,046 adults. The sample represents the adult population at the 2013 census. At a 95% confidence level, the maximum margin of error is ±3% overall.

The survey was commissioned by the not-for-profit organisation Legasea, which advocates for improved fisheries management to rebuild an abundance of fish stocks.

Official information reports this about the extent of bottom trawling:

(The illustration above comes from the Ministry for Primary Industries and shows the Trawl footprint, in square kilometres, between 2008 and 2012.)

The Horizon survey also finds:

• 69% of Kiwis think not enough is being done to stop dumping of unwanted catch
• 54% of Kiwis think some inshore fish stocks face a crisis of depletion, and
• 77% of Kiwis think inshore fish stocks are less abundant than five years ago.

Earlier results on New Zealanders' views on what should happen with the tarakihi fishery, now down to 15.9% of its original stock stock size are published here.

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