Photo credit: Jo Devantier
Kia ora Friend,
We spoke up and the Minister listened. Last week David Parker, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, acknowledged the receipt of over 10,000 submissions in response to the recent reviews. If you were one of the submitters, Minister Parker and our future generations say thanks.
The decisions are in
Last Friday Minister Parker announced several conservative decisions for the future management of species important to us.
Gurnard catches will be limited until the Minister can split the massive management area in two so he can better manage what's left after years of trawling.
West coast North Island snapper commercial catch limits increase by just 23% for the next 3 years. This is okay considering we were facing the prospect of a 100% increase.
There is still some way to go before recreational fishers on the South Island's east coast get a fair crack at blue cod. The Minister has signaled a review of the unjust traffic light system.
Hāpuku and bass catch limits have been reduced for all fishers around the east and south of the North Island. To be effective, we still need some reef systems to be closed and improved monitoring as further catch reductions may be required to sustain these slow growing, long lived fish.
Overall, the decisions are positive and show a desire by the Minister to act cautiously when there is such poor information available about these important fisheries.
For more information on the full October round of sustainability measures, you can read the Minister's decision letter or visit the Fisheries NZ consultation page.
"Some of these fisheries, such as West Coast North Island snapper (SNA 8) and East Coast South Island blue cod (BCO 3), garnered strong public interest and more than 10,000 submissions were received across the round of proposals during public consultation. I would like to express my thanks to tangata whenua and the various organisations and members of the public who took time to provide feedback on these important fisheries."
- Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, David Parker, 24/09/2021
The Minister's score card
It's an 'A' pass mark for the Minister's latest fisheries management decisions and a hurry-up for Fisheries New Zealand to gather vital data over the next 12 months. In the past it has been rare for a Minister to step beyond his officials' advice and choose the more conservative of the published options made available by Fisheries New Zealand.
In his decision David Parker thanked everyone who made the effort to submit their feedback. If you were one of the 10,000 submitters, well done.
"Positive change for our fisheries is a result of public pressure, as we have seen in the latest round of sustainability measures and the Coromandel scallop rāhui. To go further we need all the support from we get from you and the rest of New Zealand. Please tell your friends, whanau and colleagues to sign up to LegaSea. You can email them this link. Thanks for your support. It means a lot!″
- Sam Woolford, LegaSea Lead.
Now that the scallop rāhui by Ngāti Hei has Ministerial approval there will be no scallop harvesting in 2400km2 on the eastern Coromandel coast for the next two years. This gives us the perfect opportunity to start looking at how we might restore the scallop population.
Re-seeding programmes and a permanent ban on commercial and recreational scallop dredging are on the agenda and it's time to look at low-impact harvesting.
Read more
Kai Ika X ITM Fishing Show
This Sunday's ITM Fishing Show with
Matt Watson features The Kai Ika Project with our very own Carlos Hotene getting a nice surprise when he turns up to pick up some fish heads from Matt off his boat at Pier 21 / Westhaven.
Also featuring Dean Barker and well known chef Ben Bayly, the team chase snapper and kingfish in the Hauraki Gulf, being sure to minimise their impact while fishing and then maximising what they catch when they visit the Kai Ika filleting trailer. Matt also gets a filleting lesson from Dave Ahoia, Kai Ika's filleter extraordinaire.
Carlos from Kai Ika with Matt Watson on this week's ITM Fishing Show.
Victory Knives come aboard
Thank you to our newest partner Victory Knives who have generously donated all profits to Kai Ika from the first 170 branded knife sets sold. These funds will be used to recover more under-utilised kaimoana and share it with families who truly revere these parts of the fish.
Victory Knives continues to thrive after so many years by maintaining the highest standards in manufacturing and materials, building its reputation for unsurpassed quality - at solid prices.
If you would like to support The Kai Ika Project and get your hands on an Ultimate Fish Processing Knife Set.
This partnership will also see a series of instructional fish filleting videos posted to help people learn the art of fish processing. Keep an eye out on the Kai Ika social media pages Facebook and Instagram for these videos.
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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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