New Zealand to free lobsters as China cancels orders
Tonnes of live lobsters stranded in New Zealand after Chinese customers cancelled orders will be returned to the wild.
Some of the tonnes of live rock lobsters stranded in New Zealand after Chinese customers cancelled orders will be returned to the wild, the fisheries minister said.
The move is part of measures to help rock lobster exporters hit by the sudden evaporation of demand from China, where the coronavirus epidemic has restricted the movement of millions of people and bought Lunar New Year celebrations to a standstill.
The New Zealand government estimates up to 180 tonnes of the spiny creatures are being held in pots and tanks at sea and on land after Chinese distributors cancelled orders. The trade is vital to a number of small fishing towns in New Zealand.
Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash said releasing the crustaceans “means they can be harvested again when the trade disruptions are resolved.”
Releases will be considered on a case-by-case basis when holding tanks on land have rock lobsters from different locations because of biosecurity concerns.
“Officials want to make sure it is done in a way which ensures they are likely to survive and also protects the environment where they are being released,” Mr Nash said.
Dow Jones Newswires
Covid-era early access to super ‘didn’t work’
The Morrison government’s pandemic-era policy to grant cash-strapped workers early access to their superannuation did little to improve the wellbeing or financial stress experienced by those who withdrew from their savings, new research suggests.
Stronger together: Behind Ryan Stokes’ billion dollar bet
Where the trend in business is to slim down, spin-off and simplify, Ryan Stokes has been going in the other direction.