New Zealand is pushing for catch limits on Swordfish in international waters near this country and further east that come under the jurisdiction of the region Tuna Commission.
Members of that organisation are meeting in Korea with the main focus reaching agreement on reducing the catch of the Bigeye and Yellowfin tuna species.
But the head of New Zealand's delegation, Matthew Hooper, says fishing of swordfish by Spanish vessels has dramatically increased in recent years and vessel number restrictions reached in 2006 has not slowed the amount if fish being taken.
But he says so far the conservation measures have not been well received with the European Union representative questioning the science behind the assessment of swordfish numbers:
"If you get to a Commission meeting and you are still questioning the science that we have worked so hard on through the years and then to our mind that's an excuse for doing nothing rather than a concerted effort to manage stocks."
Matt Hooper says the swordfish fishery is commercially important to New Zealand the Pacific's small island states, but also significant to the sport fishery both here and in other parts of the region.
