Matt Watson: Say no to bottom trawling

Matt Watson may be known for pulling fish out of the ocean, but the famous Kiwi fisherman is passionate about sustainable fishing and caring for our ocean - which is why he's campaigning for bottom trawling to be banned in New Zealand.

On Kiwi Yarns, a podcast presented by popular broadcaster Brodie Kane, Matt made his feelings on the practice very clear. "It's shameful," Matt says of the practice which has been banned in many parts of the world, but is still legal in Aotearoa. "You're harvesting fish in a way that destroys their habitat. And the system is set up to let the big corporates take as much as they can for as cheap as they can.

"We're selling fish to countries that banned bottom trawling years ago, and now foreign supermarkets are questioning whether they should keep buying from New Zealand because of the damage we're doing to the environment.

"Fishing for me has always been about more than just catching a feed. When you catch your own fish, you connect with the ocean in a way that makes you want to look after it.

"Only four per cent of the fish that come out of New Zealand waters are caught by recreational anglers. The other 96 per cent are taken commercially. When you catch a fish with a hook and line, the fish you kill is the only one that gets killed. A bottom trawler kills a whole lot more, and destroys the sea floor in the process."