New Zealand fisheries want grisly images of dead penguins caught in nets censored

Source: The Guardian

Eleanor Ainge Roy
Tue 16 Jan 2018 23.13 EST

​The seafood industry in New Zealand has asked the government to withhold graphic video of dead sea life caught in trawler nets as they are potentially damaging to fisheries and to brand New Zealand.

A letter from five seafood industry leaders to the Ministry of Primary Industries highlights the fisheries growing unease with the governments proposal to install video cameras on all commercial fishing vessels to monitor bycatch of other species and illegal fish dumping.

The letter requests an amendment to the Fisheries Act, so video captured onboard cannot be released to the general public through a freedom of information request, frequently used by the media, campaign groups and opposition parties.

They [the proposed videos] also raise significant risks for MPI and for New Zealand Inc, the letter reads, also citing concerns about invading the privacy of employees onboard, and protecting commercial and trade secrets.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/17/new-zealand-fishing-grisly-images-dead-penguins-caught-nets-censored