Stephanie Railey
Since: Nov 2011
Posts: 2
The recreational fishery is threatened by the over fishing of the commercial sector. Why do we regularly see Purse Seine boats fishing in groups with a spotter plane working in close to shore and around sensitive reef areas taking everything they can find? Labour weekend this year ( Sunday 2011), four large purse seiners and a spotter plane were seen targeting the huge schools of Spanish Mackerel which had come in to spawn off Te Arai Beach (in a line intersected with Sail Rock). When a fishery officer was contacted inquiring as to the legality of it, it was discovered they had their AIS switched off, (maybe not legal?) but as long as they were inside the line, they were legally able to be there. However, as the Spanish Mackerel had come in to spawn it makes no sense that they can be wiped out before doing so. We caught one, cut it open to see if it had had a chance to drop it's eggs and it was choka block full. These fish have not had a chance to reproduce, so the eggs they should have dropped are not in the environment to feed the pilly, which in turn feed the other larger fish which rely on this link in the food chain. The Bream Bay and outer gulf areas are constantly hit by these large vessels netting EVERYTHING. On the Monday, we returned to the area off Mangawhai and after searching, found only one small school of Spanish Mackerel. The Purse Seiners were gone and so were the fish. Please do something about conserving the fishery so New Zealanders can continue to feed the family, our fishery is not there to feed the world. As active observers, we have noticed a radical decline in the numbers of fish the local recreational fisher is returning with in our region.
Please remind the National Government of this promise by Colin Moyle. (see below)
Stephanie Railey
RnR Charters Ltd
Moyle's Promise
National Policy for Marine Recreational Fisheries
June 1989
A message from the Minister of Fisheries
My Ministry has the responsibility to manage and conserve our fisheries and fishery resources for the benefit of all New Zealanders. Ensuring that everyone is able to enjoy and benefit from these resources is a complex and demanding task. I want to assure you it is a task which we are both committed to and capable of achieving.
The Quota Management System is now in place for controlling the commercial component of the sustainable catch. This system ensures fish stocks are conserved for present and future generations.
The Recreational Fisheries Policy I am now releasing can be seen as the first step in a programme which will address the needs of the recreational fishery. It is not a set of rules and regulations governing recreational fishing; it is a set of principles which will provide a framework for specific management measures to be introduced in the regions, to meet regional needs and local conditions.
The cornerstone of the policy is presented in the first national objective: to ensure recreational users have access to a reasonable share of fishery resources. Government's position is clear, where a species of fish is not sufficiently abundant to support both commercial and non-commercial fishing, preference will be given to non-commercial fishing. This position reflects Government's resolve to ensure all New Zealanders can enjoy and benefit from our fisheries.
New Zealand is now recognised as a world leader in commercial fisheries management. This policy ensures we are at the forefront of recreational fisheries policy as well.
Colin Moyle
Minister of Fisheries
June 1989
