Hawke’s Bay commercial fisherman Karl Warr wants the public to see the job for what it is.
He’s installed a camera on board his boat to live stream what he's doing to a website, https://www.betterfish.co
“Personally it’s about, you know, showing the provenance of the product to our customers so rather than me tell them how it is, it’s right there on film to have a look yourself.”
He's broadcasting his methods to the world.
Even his bycatch, the species he doesn't intend to take, will be seen.
It's a risk he's willing to take.
“There has to be some discomfort at being asked to see things differently or explore different aspects,” he says.
Government-funded cameras are still being rolled out to all fishing boats in Maui dolphin habitats despite promises they'd be installed by the start of this month.
The World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) are calling for them to be on board all commercial fishing vessels.
“We believe you need to have a certain amount of monitoring on board to ensure everyone is engaged in sustainable practices and ethical practices and that there's a level playing field for fishermen.” Bubba Cook, Senior Fisheries Program Officer at WWF told 1 NEWS.
Mr Warr wants more fisherman to take up his approach.
“I'd just like it to get some air and an opportunity to explore what it could be as an asset for our nation and our brand overseas.”
Fisheries Inshore Chief Executive Jeremy Helson says cameras are too costly.
“It's a new technology, it will get cheaper but I think we need to be a bit more measured to where we apply them in the first instance," he says.
But isn’t shutting the idea down completely.
“I think it demystifies what happens at sea, I think it’s pretty misunderstood what goes on over the horizon,” says Mr Helson.
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