| 19 T T Sue Russell Sustainable trawling solutions focus for firm Motueka Nets has designed trawls specifically aimed at targeting particular species. These trawls incorporate escape hatches for unwanted species. Tasman: Motueka Nets REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Supporting Motueka Nets Nelson Innovation in the development of Seafood Harvest Suppliers of High Performance Ropes to the NZ Aquaculture & Fishing Industries 42 Maces Road Christchurch | Ph 03 3 845118 | www.ssmarine.co.nz Since January 2023, Josh Donker has been at the helm of Nelson Port based Motueka Nets, though his association with the business he took over from his parents, stems way back to spending 10 years building nets when he first left school at age 16. After returning to study IT in 2015 followed by 3 years work in the industry Josh returned to familiar ground and now leads a team of 15 skilled net designers and makers, the majority of whom work on the floor in a massive open space required to create and repair trawls of all forms. “When a commercial fishing trawler brings in its gear for repairs, eager to return to the sea, we immediately dive into resolving the issue with efficiency. At Motueka Nets, we take pride in our reputation for delivering topnotch quality and service, a testament to our commitment to ensuring swift solutions for our clients” “For 35 years, we’ve been actively engaged in this industry, and we’re proud to have dedicated team members who’ve been with us throughout this remarkable journey. Our success is a testament to the unwavering loyalty, hard work, exceptional skills, and dedication of our team. Without them, our achievements wouldn’t have been possible, and we’re grateful for their invaluable contributions!” Motueka Nets marked a significant milestone on September 12, commemorating 35 years of successful business. “We took the boys out to paintball for the day and have done a few other group things this year. We know we wouldn’t be where we are now without the team.” The company supplies its services to a number of large corporate fishery clients. Josh says since assuming leadership he’s concentrated on tidying up processes and to really focussing on what they do well, to gain added value. Every day starts at 6 am and its hard work – no two ways about it, but equally wonderfully rewarding when complex projects cross the floor. “The fundamental technology behind trawl construction has remained relatively unchanged. The evolution, however, is primarily evident in the manufacturing processes of composite materials and fittings” Josh explains. Nowadays nets trawls tend to be smaller, lighter and stronger. Motueka Nets has innovatively designed trawls specifically aimed at targeting particular species. These trawls incorporate escape hatches for unwanted species, addressing situations where the operator may not have quotas for those particular species. “Most people think these trawlers go along capturing catching anything and everything. That’s not the case at all. They get fined for catch which is not in their quota. I just wish there was much better detailed information shared about what a remarkable, sustainable industry this is.” Josh is also a firm believer that the fishing industry needs and deserves the support of the New Zealand public; not the media clobbering seen a lot recently. from time to time. “My biggest frustration has been the publicity has been so negative. There’s just so much misinformation out there hidden behind a clickbait article with a 40 year old photo. “We all know that commercial fishing practices needed to change from 30, 40, 50 years ago, but so much has changed and its been driven by the industry itself. This fact is little understood by Joe Public sadly,” Josh says. “Over the past few years, our primary focus has been on delivering sustainable trawling solutions, and this commitment will persist as a central aspect of our efforts” Josh says. And its not only on the sea that great things for the environment are happening. At Motueka Nets, a combined initiative with Sealord is seeing old netting stripped down and recycled, with the polyethalene rope being made available, at no cost, for the public to use. The nylon left behind is then loaded into a 40ft container to be shipped off to Europe to be repurposed and the scrap metal sent to local metal recyclers. “All Sealord nylon mid-water trawls will be recycled in this way and that’s been a great thing for us jointly to achieve. We’re thrilled to be a part of something so environmentally sound.” A full story on the businesses proud history can be found at Seafood New Zealand, Volume 31. No. 2 “This is a real family business, with family values. We’re based in a fantastic situation at Port Nelson and our future is very positive indeed.”
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