Pursuant to section 11 (4) (b) (i) of the Fisheries Act 1996, the Minister of Fisheries gives the following notice.
N o t i c e
1. Title—(1) This notice is the Fisheries (Incidental Bycatch of Seabirds by Vessels 46m+) Notice 2005.
2. Commencement—This notice shall come into effect 60 days after the date of its notification in the New Zealand Gazette.
3. Interpretation—In this notice, “paired streamer lines” means:
(a) 2 fishing lines of 9 millimetre diameter, hereafter known as “streamer lines”, which shall be a minimum of
50 metres in length and shall be deployed so as to have an aerial extent of at least 10 metres behind the point at which the trawl warps enter the water;
(b) streamer lines shall be attached to the port and starboard sides of the vessel from a point a minimum of 2 metres above the trawl blocks and 2 metres outside of the trawl blocks on both sides of the vessel, on a sidearm if necessary. Attachment points should be as close to the stern as practicable;
(c) a net covered buoy of no less than 600 millimetres in diameter shall be attached at the seaward end of each of the streamer lines;
(d) branched streamers, each comprising of 2 strands of fluorescent red, yellow, orange or pink plastic tubing of a minimum of 3 millimetres in diameter, shall be attached no more than 5 metres apart commencing 5 metres from the point of attachment of the streamer line to the vessel and thereafter along the seaward extent of the line. When a streamer line is fully deployed, each of the branched streamers must reach the sea surface in the absence of wind and swell. Branched streamer length will therefore vary depending on the height of its attachment point above the water but, in any event, every branched streamer must be longer than 1 metre in length; and
(e) each branched streamer shall have a swivel or other device at its point of attachment to the streamer line to prevent fouling of individual branched streamers. A swivel may also be used at the point of attachment of the streamer line to the buoy to reduce movement of the buoy and streamer line in heavy seas.
4. Fishing without paired streamer lines prohibited—(1) No person shall operate a vessel greater than 46 metres in overall length with its trawl gear deployed in FMA3, FMA4, FMA5, FMA6 or FMA7 without paired streamer lines deployed in accordance with this notice.
(2) Paired streamer lines must be deployed as soon as practicable after the shooting of the net, and the paired streamer lines shall remain deployed for as long as practicable prior to the net being brought back on board the vessel.
5. The Schedule—(1) The Schedule sets out an illustration to guide the definition of paired streamer lines.
(2) If there is any inconsistency between the illustration in the Schedule and the definition, the definition prevails.
Schedule


DAVID BENSON-POPE, Minister of Fisheries.
Dated at Wellington this 12th day of September 2005.
Explanatory Note
This note is not part of the notice, but is intended to indicate its general effect.
The intent of this notice is to ensure implementation of effective devices to deter seabirds from interacting with trawl warp cables. This notice, which only applies to vessels 46 metres or over, prohibits fishing in FMAs 3 – 7 unless the vessel has paired streamer lines deployed.