The livelihoods of 35 commercial fishers working out of Tauranga have taken a huge hit since the Ministry of Fisheries imposed an exclusion zone after the grounding of the Rena.
Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley was in Tauranga yesterday talking to fishers and hearing first-hand about the impact on the industry.
The grounding has affected 25 jobs from 10 boats catching fin fish and 10 jobs from the three quota crayfishing companies.
Mr Heatley said the Western Bay's exclusion zone was imposed to reassure the domestic and export market that no tainted fish were coming from the area affected by the oil slicks. It was also for safety reasons to protect boats from containers.
He said shellfish, kina, crayfish and fish caught within the zone could not be sold. He said the ministry was working closely with the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce to get a good picture of how the industry was being affected.