The Green Party says the Government has moved too quickly to replace human observers with camera technology on fishing boats.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed the cameras cannot measure fish which are near the minimum legal size, and therefore the footage is difficult to use in some prosecutions.
Since the cameras were first put on board fishing boats, human eyes have spent less time watching for illegal fishing.
"Nathan Guy has jumped in and jumped the gun in phasing out observers on boats before video cameras and that system has been proven," Eugenie Sage, Greens' primary production spokesperson, told Newshub.
A leaked MPI report revealed the cameras used in a trial on boats couldn't tell what size the fish were in the footage, meaning there would be difficulties using it as evidence in court.
But Minister Nathan Guy says the footage can still be used in some circumstances, like if a protected bird or dolphin got caught in a net.
"They can be used for prosecution purposes because we've got a legally binding MoU (memorandum of understanding)," he told Newshub.
But prosecuting in some cases simply won't work.
MPI confirmed to Newshub that it would be "very difficult to prosecute for high-grading... or in some dumping cases where a fish is near the minimum legal size".
High-grading is where fish that are too big or damaged are thrown back illegally.
"What is the point of cameras and monitoring if you can't use it for law enforcement," Ms Sage said.
The chairman of the company that owns the cameras says they were never intended for enforcement purposes, but MPI can still use if for that if they want.
Trident Systems' chairman Jeremy Fleming told Newshub their primary purpose is for research, not compliance.
MPI says it has noted what it calls 25 "incidents of concern" from the footage it's gathered, but so far no prosecutions from that.
Newshub.
