Open Letter: Stop Greenwashing and Undermining Ocean Protections

Natalie Jessup
Jul 14
2 min read

Tāngaro Tuia te Ora, the Endangered Species Foundation (ESF) is standing alongside leading environmental organisations, iwi, scientists, and conservation groups in rejecting Seafood New Zealand’s misleading claim that Aotearoa has already met the global target of protecting 30% of its ocean by 2030.

As a signatory to the joint open letter, ESF is deeply concerned by Seafood New Zealand’s reliance on Benthic Protection Areas (BPAs) to justify its claims. These areas, largely established in places too deep to trawl, still permit a wide range of industrial fishing practices that continue to degrade vulnerable ecosystems. This is not ocean protection — it’s greenwashing.

“We cannot count deep-sea zones as meaningful protection. While our endemic marine species teeter on the edge of extinction and our ecosystems collapse under the weight of industrial fishing, industry lobbyists are claiming protections. It’s irresponsible and misleading,” says ESF General Manager, Natalie Jessup.

BPAs do not meet the international criteria for ‘highly protected’ areas and fail to safeguard critical biodiversity hotspots like seamounts, coral reefs, and nursery grounds for declining species including orange roughy. Despite this, the seafood industry continues to promote them as conservation success stories, masking the need for real progress.

Since the 1970's the health of some of many fish stocks have plummeted. This includes scallop and crayfish fisheries around the country which have either collapsed or are on the brink of collapse.

We need to do better. The Endangered Species Foundation supports calls for:

A halt to bottom trawling in sensitive areas like the Hauraki Gulf and known biodiversity hotspots;
The establishment of true marine protected areas that meet global standards;
A collaborative, transparent approach to ocean protection that honours the rights and responsibilities of tāngata whenua.

With marine life in crisis and public trust on the line, it’s time to move beyond rhetoric and deliver the protection our oceans deserve.