With 13 more episodes under his belt, host and producer Graeme Sinclair reflects on Series 7 of Ocean Bounty and what's exciting him for 2026.
When I think about coming to the end of another great series, my overall reflection is that commercial fishing is still largely misunderstood. We need to continue to remind people that New Zealand has one of the most respected commercial fisheries on the planet by far for very good reason, and that the greater percentage of our commercially caught fish are caught sustainably. That evidence is backed up by science. And, in essence, 16,000 people are employed by the industry - some towns virtually rely on commercial fishing for their survival, as do many families. Similarly, it contributes $2 billion to our overseas exports. I think that we need to continue generating consistent positive messaging on as many media platforms as possible.
The important thing about Ocean Bounty is that it provides an opportunity to tell the real story, to back opinion with science, and to actually show what really does happen in the commercial fishing space - not just inshore but also deepwater. There's a whole lot going on all the time, and there's a great deal of innovation.
We get some great feedback on Facebook, but in our travels around the country, we meet a lot of people, and get plenty of anecdotal comments. Many of the comments are positive about Ocean Bounty, such as, "I didn't realise that happened!" or "Wow that's amazing, that science is interesting," and similarly encouragement to, "Carry on the good work."
I also think many people see something on social media and base their opinions on erroneous information. My father was a commercial fisher in Lyttelton 75 years ago. Effectively, people like Tony Threadwell and Pegasus Fishing out of Lyttelton are actually towing the same lines that my father towed 75 years ago. They can go back season after season, year after year, and still catch fish sustainably. Trawling so often gets an unnecessary bad rap. Doug Saunders-Loders' initiatives in particular are starting to bear fruit. He put together a couple of graphics that we were able to utilise in the last series that highlighted how a trawl net worked, and how small the inshore trawl footprint area is around New Zealand.
We've got to have balance. And I think that's where Ocean Bounty represents great potential. Only after repetition will messages start to sink in and get through. It's only by getting people to ask questions about what they see on social media that they actually find out what the truth is. To adapt to an increasingly online media space, we've gone from an hour to a half hour, with shorter segments really packed in a digestible space.
Seasons change, fisheries change, impact changes, so too does technology; all these factors allow for ongoing stories throughout the commercial sector. Story opportunities are endless! Every time we travel somewhere, we meet someone else with passion, somebody else dedicated to the future of the fishery. Change means there's a vast repository of information.
This series, I really enjoyed a show we filmed for Moana on oysters. We started at the Moana hatchery in Nelson. We followed the spat to Coromandel, out into the oyster farm. What a great bunch of young people focusing on an industry with a fantastic future. Any industry needs passion to thrive into the future; you need a succession plan. And when it comes to sharing the resource, be it commercial, recreational or customary, the only way we can do that with is with a clear understanding and focus on the future, and by ensuring we collaborate.
I'm in a wheelchair, and have been for 30 years. Things don't necessarily get easier, but the industry rallies around. I get picked up and dropped into all sorts of amazing places, which is fantastic. Teamwork is dreamwork! I don't work alone. I have my wife, Sandee, who supports me in all ways. Mal Williams as our main cameraman, and our editors, Ryan and Alice. As a team we just work well together! We believe in what we're doing. We love the space. We love the depth of subject matter that's available, knowledge gained. And we just have a clear focus on continuing. We believe in the future of commercial fishing in New Zealand. It's evolving all the time. I encourage people to do their homework as they develop an opinion. The Ocean Bounty series provides valuable insights and information. Bring on series eight!
All I can say is: "Watch this space. There's some really good stuff coming up."
Watch all episodes from Series 7 of Ocean Bounty on ThreeNow.
