Pursuant to Regulation 58A of the Fisheries (Commercial Fishing) Regulations 2001, the Manager Offshore Fisheries at the Ministry for Primary Industries (acting pursuant to a delegated authority in accordance with section 41 of the State Sector Act 1988) issues the following circular.

Circular

1. Title—This circular is the Fisheries (Seabird Sustainability Measures—Bottom Longlines) Circular 2019.

2. Commencement—This circular comes into force on 10 April 2019.

3. Seabird sustainability measures in relation to specified vessel—From the date that this circular comes into force, consent is given for the vessel “Tasman Viking (ZMDM)” to discharge offal and fish during hauling on the same side of the vessel to which the hauling station is located, despite clause 9(2) of the Fisheries (Seabird Mitigation Measures—Bottom Longlines) Circular 2018.

4. Restriction on consent given—The consent given in clause 3 is subject to the following standards and requirements in relation to the vessel “Tasman Viking (ZMDM)”:

1. All offal and fish must be held in batches and discharged together, with each discharge event lasting for no longer than five minutes; and
2. A discharge can only occur when a minimum of 200kg and a maximum of 400kg of offal or fish has accumulated.
3. During every haul seabird mitigation is to be used which has the operational characteristics of deterring birds from flying directly into the area where the line is being hauled and the prevention of birds sitting on the sea surface from swimming into the hauling bay area.

5. Expiry—This circular expires at the close of 31 March 2020.

Dated at Auckland this 8th April day of 2019.

ARTHUR HORE, Manager Offshore Fisheries, Ministry for Primary Industries.