22 Aug 2017

Fishers 'trying to intimidate' MPI over surveillance

From Morning Report, 8:27 am on 22 August 2017

Court action could be on the horizon from a group of fishermen against plans to use cameras and GPS tracking on commercial boats. Auckland University fishing industry researcher Dr Glenn Simmons joins us.

"The industry is known for its litigious behaviour and it's not unusual that they would go the way of taking the Ministry to court - it's not the first time, it won't be the last," he tells Guyon Espiner.

In response to the fishermen's claims it's an invasion of privacy, Dr Simmons says: "We're living in the 21st century - you can't walk through a shopping mall or go down a motorway in Auckland without being photographed.

"There's a very important thing here, and that is the way the cameras have been set up on the trials in Auckland for instance. Essentially they're only photographing or recording where the net comes in or the line, or where they're processing the fish."

He says the Ministry is working with the Privacy Commissioner on the issue.

Listen to the interview above or read more: Cameras on boats 'an invasion of privacy' - Bluff fisherman