From time to time, we get enquiries from good keen sorts who want to take up pāua diving for a living. Our response is always encouraging and will generally include sharing an industry contact or two we think might be looking for a diver.
We always caution them if they want to do more than simply show up with a wetsuit and a good attitude and contract dive for an existing outfit, the legal requirements and costs are not minor.
When I started diving in the late 70’s anyone could walk into the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries office, as it was then, get a permit and go diving. You were allowed to catch and sell a tonne of pāua a week, pāua taken had to be above 125mm and that was pretty much it.
Now it is a very different situation.
To become a professional pāua diver in 2024, if you want to be more than just part of a dive crew, there are two routes.
1. Buy pāua quota, pāua quota shares
2. Or find someone to lease you pāua Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE).
Either way you need a minimum of one tonne of ACE before you will be issued a fishing permit by Fisheries New Zealand.
Having got your fishing permit and start by acquiring the minimum ACE holding in the Quota Management Area you want to work, then the ‘fun’ begins.
You most likely will need a boat to get out to the better fishing grounds and you won’t get away with a cheap one. It needs to be a very reliable, strong and seaworthy beast to go commercial fishing.
• Any commercial fishing vessel must be certified to comply with Safe Ship Management (SSM) requirements. Such as Safe Operating Plans (SOPs) or Maritime Operating Safety System (MOSS). These vessels are checked and certified regularly and at great cost. For example, under six metre boat would cost approximately $1500 to $2000 annually and a larger boat (requiring MOSS) would cost approximately $5000 to $7000 annually.
• Safety gear requirements are also strictly policed and vary depending on the length of the vessel. Gear such EPIRBS, life rafts and high spec safety and survival gear call, all be requirements.
• All commercial vessels also need to be registered annually with Fishserve and marked clearly with a name and rego number. It must carry a Geospatial Position Reporting (GPR) unit. This is so MPI Fisheries Enforcement can always monitor your vessel location. The GPR unit also requires a monthly subscription to the satellite communications network at the owners expense.
• Finally, since most pāua is exported, your boat must come up to hygiene standards certified to comply with the standards of the countries the pāua are being exported to. Generally, EU standards.
Next on the list? A skipper’s ticket.
Commercial fishing vessels are required to have a suitably qualified person in charge. The Skipper Restricted Limits (SRL) certificate is the minimum ticket to become a skipper of a New Zealand commercial vessel. To gain an SRL takes 850 hours, which include: an 18 week/450 hour online preentry course, 200 hours of sea time, a five-week classroom course (200 hours). The SRL includes endorsements in VHF radio use, first aid, radar use and motor know-how.
Having got all that set up, and now off diving, there are strict catch reporting requirements to meet.
Electronic reporting (ER). Regulations require commercial fishing to be recorded and reported each day a fishing event takes place. For paua, ERs record
• the name of each diver,
• the Lat/long, time and date of where they entered and exited the water,
• the time spent in the water,
• how many kilos they caught and of what species,
• the Statistical Areas they fished in,
• the sea conditions (swell and visibility), the type of breathing apparatus each diver used (snorkel, UBA Steel or Aluminium tanks on the Chathams).
These reports must be transmitted digitally to MPI by the end of each day. Once you have finished diving for the day, your legal responsibilities haven’t finished.
All commercially caught pāua must be landed to a Licensed Fish Receiver (LFR) who officially weighs the catch and reports it to MPI. You are also required to submit a Monthly Harvest Return (MHR), which is used to help verify your catch.
So, it’s not straightforward. If you want to get into the industry, do your homework, and get advice from a good skipper or diver.
Some of the older divers reckon a lot of fun has gone out of the game, there are just so many requirements loaded on to what should be a pretty simple way to make a crust.
Those doing the job now continue to love the lifestyle. A day at the office for a professional pāua diver can be special after all.
Jeremy is CEO of the Pāua Industry Council
DETAILS
Quota/ Quota shares are the basis of the Quota Management System (QMS).
There are 100 million shares in each fishing stock within the QMS. For pāua there are 10 Quota Management Areas (QMAs) commercially fished in New Zealand. These QMAs have varying amounts of pāua that can be commercially harvested each year. Any New Zealand citizen or entity can buy and own quota shares in any fish stock. Pāua quota shares can be purchased on a willing seller / willing buyer basis either privately or through Quota brokers operating in New Zealand.
ACE-Annual Catch Entitlement.
On October 1 each year, quota shares are used to generate Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE). ACE effectively mirrors Quota shares but converts the shares to kilos of fish that can be caught each year.
Many pāua quota share owners (QSOs) choose to sell their ACE rather than catch it themselves. To go commercially diving for pāua you needn’t own pāua quota, but you do need a minimum parcel of pāua ACE. ACE can either be purchased, leased or transferred to you, which allows you to harvest the ACE on behalf of the ACE owner. Such transactions are a private commercial arrangement between you and the QSO/ACE owner.
