Kia ora Friend,
After 5 long years the Kaikōura pāua fishery is set to reopen. It's been a hard wait for one of New Zealand's most enjoyed fisheries and there is plenty of excitement at the prospect of it reopening. Stocks are looking good, but as expected, there will be are plenty of changes being recommended for recreational harvest rules.
The Fisheries New Zealand is currently seeking public input into the changes (see below) and it's critical that the public has its say. So please, make the effort and ensure that sense prevails when the Minister makes his decision.
Limited time to submit on Kaikoura paua re-opening
Kaikōura locals have lost access to their favourite fisheries due to natural disasters including earthquakes and unnatural disasters, through preference being given to commercial interests. Now it's time for us to submit in support of recovering access to the pāua fishery.
We have until 5 July to submit in support of local fishing and iwi interests, who are proposing a daily bag limit of five pāua per person, per day, for nine months of the year, and giving the fishery a rest for three months of winter spawning.
Locals report the pāua stocks are as good as they were 20 years ago, a likely consequence of no commercial harvesting since the 2016 earthquakes. Read more here. Make a submission here.
Southern Bluefin Tuna season
Some good tuna catches have been reported by recreational fishers from Hawkes Bay to Bay of Plenty in early June and there is interest in exploring fishing opportunities from a range of ports as the North Island season progresses. Weighing your fish at a sportfishing club helps track the size and number of fish caught. An increasing number of fishers process their tuna onboard so Blue Water Marine Research has launched an online catch reporting form at www.fishcatch.co.nz for gamefish kept or released that aren't recorded by a club or boat ramp survey. Catch information will be combined with data from other sources and used for research and advocacy here and overseas. For example, calculating the average weight of bluefin tuna caught will be biased high if only the largest fish are weighed. Having the estimated weights or lengths provides a better record of actual recreational catch.
LegaSea has also produced FishCare information for fishers to help keep or release bluefin tuna in the best possible condition.
Click image to see large graph
Tarakihi - a High Court win
The High Court has ruled that in 2019 the Minister of Fisheries did not act legally when deciding on the management settings for tarakihi on the whole east coast. Tarakihi and the environment in which they live have been decimated by years of trawling, with the stock collapsing to just 16% of its original unfished state.
In the case taken by Forest & Bird, the Court found that the Minister did not properly consider his Ministry's own guidelines on how long it would take for the fishery to rebuild, instead he took into account a voluntary long-term plan developed by interested commercial fishers and TOKM. The Minister must make a new decision by October this year.
Congratulations to Forest & Bird on this important win. Our legal team is considering the Court judgment now and will make further comment next week.
Read the Forest & Bird press release here.
New Gold partner - Ultimate Charters
Ultimate Charters is a privately-held New Zealand outdoor adventure business owned by keen fishos and adventurers, Simon Brady and Matt Wilson. It specialises in large and small fishing charters, cruising, parties and events and island explorer tours. It is based in Westhaven Marina, Auckland and has boats ranging from 8m for up to 8 passengers to 17m for up to 40 passengers.
They specialise in providing outstanding experiences in the beautiful surroundings of the Hauraki Gulf and New Zealand's incredible coastal waters.
"Watching from a distance the great work LegaSea has done and continue to do, we are very excited to be in a position to take an active role in assisting their efforts. We have a vested interest in healthy fish stocks in our place of work that is the Hauraki Gulf, but much more than this, the initiative to partner LegaSea is fuelled by a genuine desire to see our oceans thrive as lovers of all things marine"
Simon Brady, ultimatecharters.co.nz, 0800 262 844
Snapper 8 review coming soon
A long awaited review of west coast snapper (SNA8) will be happening any day. It's been 16 years since the last review. The fishery has rebuilt to a level that we should expect some pressure on the Minister to grant catch increases. Our New Zealand Sport Fishing fisheries team is awaiting the Fisheries NewZealand's proposal and plan to make a submission. Watch this space for your opportunity to join us and make a submission.
Snapper 8 extends from North Cape in the North Island to Kapiti.
The 2021 Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show was, as always, a fantastic event. We would even go one further and say it was the best one yet. After the turmoil of 2020 it was so good to be back at the event once again and to catch up with everyone. The recreational boating industry is pumping and there was evidence of this all around, with big queues and busy stalls everywhere.
The LegaSea wall, that focussed this year on bottom trawling and dredging, was a hit and we engaged with many people. Thanks to all everyone who came to the stall and signed and stapled a tarakihi or a scallop up on the wall.
A huge thanks to Dave Gibbs and Boat Show team. As a Gold sponsor they have supported LegaSea so well over the years, and after taking a big hit last year it's great to see the Boat Show back in earnest.
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Ngā mihi
Trish and the LegaSea crew
LegaSea appreciates the ongoing support of our Platinum and Gold partners -
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