About this consultation
Fisheries New Zealand and the Department of Conservation reviewed the National Plan of Action – Sharks (NPOA –Sharks) 2013.
We have revised the plan and want you to tell us what you think. The revised plan is called the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022 (NPOA – Sharks 2022).
In developing the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022, we took advice from the Sharks Advisory Group, which has representatives from government agencies, environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishers, and Te Ohu Kaimoana.
This consultation starts on 2 August and closes on 13 September 2022.
Consultation document
Draft National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2022 [PDF, 4 MB]
Related documents
Review of the National Plan of Action – Sharks 2013 [PDF, 488 KB]
Questions and Answers for the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 [PDF, 158 KB]
Background information about the NPOA for sharks
New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is home to at least 113 species of shark, of which more than 70 have been recorded in fisheries. The term ‘shark’, as used in these documents, refers to all sharks, rays, skates, chimaeras, and other members of the Class Chondrichthyes.
As apex predators, sharks can play important roles in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems. Sharks also share biological characteristics such as late maturing and low reproduction rates that can make them susceptible to over-fishing.
Sharks face a wide range of threats, including interactions with fisheries. The New Zealand Government's commitment to reducing interactions with fisheries is set out in the NPOA – Sharks.
New Zealand issued its first NPOA – Sharks in 2008, with a second iteration issued in 2013. The draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 builds on previous iterations. It summarises what we know about sharks, the cultural significance of sharks to Māori, the economic importance of commercially targeted shark species, and how we can reduce captures of protected and unwanted sharks. In this version, we tried to make sure that the goals and objectives are achievable, measurable, and easily understood.
The focus of the draft NPOA – Sharks 2022 is on education and ensuring that all fishers, commercial, recreational, and customary, take all practicable steps to minimise the risk to sharks. The key components of the draft 2022 action plan are its vision, goals, objectives, and performance measures.
Making your submission
Submissions close at 5pm on Tuesday, 13 September 2022.
Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
While we prefer email, you can post your written submission to:
NPOA – Sharks 2022
Fisheries New Zealand
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140
New Zealand.
Submissions are public information
Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.
People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.
