Feedback Sought On Proposed Catch Limits And Settings For East Coast Tarakihi

Fisheries New Zealand is inviting people to have their say on proposed changes to catch limits and settings for New Zealand’s East Coast tarakihi stocks.

"Tarakihi is a popular fish and a favourite for many New Zealanders. The proposed reductions will further help the fishery to rebuild so it can continue to be enjoyed by future generations," says Emma Taylor, Director Fisheries Management.

The proposals look to reduce the commercial catch limits across all East Coast tarakihi stocks (TAR 2, TAR 3 and the east portions of TAR 1 and TAR 7).

“We consider that each of the options proposed will provide the benefits of a stock rebuild within a time period appropriate to the east coast tarakihi stock.

“Our proposals have been developed using the best available science and information, including data from a recently completed stock assessment for the fishery.

The East Coast tarakihi fishery has seen various reductions to the commercial catch limit over recent years, including a 20 percent reduction to commercial catch in 2018 and a further 10 percent reduction in 2019. In addition, an industry-led rebuild plan was implemented in 2019 to reduce the maximum rebuild time to 20 years.

“All of the proposals take into regard findings from the 2021 High Court ruling of the then-Minister of Fisheries’ 2019 decisions for the fishery, and have been developed to ensure a rebuild within a period appropriate to the stock.

"We encourage anyone with an interest in this fishery to have their say. People can find more information about the proposals, and how to make a submission on our website."

Consultation is now open, and submissions can be made online by 5pm on Tuesday, 12 July 2022.

Fisheries New Zealand will analyse feedback gathered during consultation and provide advice to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries for his consideration. Any changes would to come into effect on 1 October 2022.

This review forms part of Fisheries New Zealand’s twice-yearly sustainability reviews across a range of fish stocks. A separate consultation for the October 2022 sustainability round on other fish stocks around the country will start next week.

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