Thread: Inshore fishing under threat?

Seems now that Tauranga pushed the closures of many coastal reefs through under the RMA we will see a flood of this activity across NZ.

This one is a big one, at least they banned commercial trawling and dredging too.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/fishin...A915REYYWtEMh4

Watching closely, but it's hard to know exactly what is going to happen. Lots of "consultations" still to be had.

Originally Posted by MB

Watching closely, but it's hard to know exactly what is going to happen. Lots of "consultations" still to be had.

The biggest issue is that local councils have the power to close what is a national resource. Its a fkn joke.

Originally Posted by Gibo

The biggest issue is that local councils have the power to close what is a national resource. Its a fkn joke.

Smoke and mirrors politics. It's harder to pin accountability on a multiple councils and issues like this get lost between bureaucracy and other proceedings. For the record, I'm all for no take zones (for everybody), but it has to be balanced against reasonable access for recreational fishermen.

It is grim on the face of it. IMO the right of citizens to harvest a natural food source for personal family consumption should be sacrosanct. Certainly there may be sensible constraints on quantity taken but these should not be so small that the family costs incurred in fishing are above the costs of being forced to buy retail sea foods. The imposition on recreational fishers in favour of commercial fishers is unfair on private families and unacceptable in my view.

Originally Posted by MB

Smoke and mirrors politics. It's harder to pin accountability on a multiple councils and issues like this get lost between bureaucracy and other proceedings. For the record, I'm all for no take zones (for everybody), but it has to be balanced against reasonable access for recreational fishermen.

With you there mate. Its good for the fish but there needs to be a balance. I think a rooster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years. I dunno but this seems like they are going to go after every inshore reef.

Originally Posted by Gibo

I think a roster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years.

That would seem like a good solution to me to. In my locality, I would close Whangarei Harbour during snapper breeding season. The fish congregate en masse and are ridiculously easy to catch. They get slaughtered. Obviously, it's summer time and many people only fish at this time of year. Others don't have access to boats that can get them offshore, so it would be a deeply unpopular!

Originally Posted by Gibo

With you there mate. Its good for the fish but there needs to be a balance. I think a rooster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years. I dunno but this seems like they are going to go after every inshore reef.

Yep, great time to be a spearo. Literally have our inshore spots reduced by 60% here. As a group we are so reliant on shallow reefs and island structures we get hammered by these proposals

Originally Posted by MB

That would seem like a good solution to me to. In my locality, I would close Whangarei Harbour during snapper breeding season. The fish congregate en masse and are ridiculously easy to catch. They get slaughtered. Obviously, it's summer time and many people only fish at this time of year. Others don't have access to boats that can get them offshore, so it would be a deeply unpopular!

Agree, we are so bad at managing our resources when compared to say Aussie that have no catch during spawning and actually protect the breeding stock all year round with size limits on say snapper no take under 35cm and over 55cm or something similar as an example.

A seal cull in the south island would do a lot to balance fish take and recovery imo.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

A seal cull in the south island would do a lot to balance fish take and recovery imo.

Doesnt sound right to me, killing more wildlife doesnt create a balance, taking less fish will. No doubt the reason they are being a pain is they are forced into these areas as there normal ones are fished out.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

A seal cull in the south island would do a lot to balance fish take and recovery imo.

Sort of kill the seals that kill the fish that we want to kill kinda thing?

I guess we need the fish more than the seals do…

Originally Posted by Mohawk .308

New protected areas included 6.3 percent in a cable protection zone, 5.4 percent in Seafloor Protection Areas, and 5.6 percent in High Protection Areas - similar to no-take marine reserves but with case-by-case customary rights.

That last part is a bit concerning, I thought we were a team of 5 million

Only when it suites...............

Yep lots of hui and "consultation" to come - if you can afford time to trawl thru this ?!
https://www.doc.govt.nz/our-work/sea...-spatial-plan/

...page 57 onwards has some details of what's going to be restricted or closed within Hauraki gulf. But definitions are vague.
They have to create more no fish zones or reserves in order to start restoring the breeding stocks.
Actually I'm surprised the "no fish zones" aren't more draconian and larger. Maybe that happens after the "hui"

Please keep your racial views out of this thread, the same culprits every bloody time