Snapper on the line

Recreational fishers are shocked at proposals by the Ministry for Primary Industries to slash snapper bag limits while the commercial sector is largely unaffected.

“It’s a national disgrace that all options proposed by the government force recreational anglers to shoulder the responsibility for rebuilding snapper 1 stocks, while the commercial sector to continue to kill hundreds of thousands of juvenile fish with antiquated and indiscriminate bulk trawl methods”, says Mandy Kupenga, spokesperson for the recreational advocacy group LegaSea.

Management proposals released last Friday by the Ministry outline three options for New Zealand’s largest recreational fishery the snapper 1 fishery spanning the Bay of Plenty, Hauraki Gulf and East Northland. Under the guise of the status quo, the Ministry propose to cut individual daily bag limits by two thirds, from 9 to 3, and leave commercial quota unchanged.

If implemented, these drastic cuts could see fewer fishers on the water and have a huge economic impact on the marine leisure industry according to industry stalwarts.

Grant Dixon, editor of the popular fishing magazine, New Zealand Fishing News says, “such a drastic reduction in the snapper bag limits for SNA1 recreational take would have an immediate, and negative effect that reaches far beyond the snapper stocks themselves.

There is a huge industry based around the snapper fishery in this region. It is not just the individual anglers affected but recreational fishing media, charter boats, tackle stores, bait companies, accommodation providers and the marine industry as a whole.

It is a short sighted approach, especially when you stack up the recreational and economic benefits to the community when compared to the value of the commercial catch.”

The irony is that these cuts are predicted to improve the stock size less than 1% by the end of 2018, less than the margin of error.

Overall the snapper stock is rebuilding and generally commercial and recreational catch rates have increased. Except in the Bay of Plenty, where that part of the stock is considered ‘collapsed’, at just 6% of it’s original size. It is no accident that recreational fishers have resorted to targeting other species in the absence of reasonable size and numbers of snapper.

Option 2 is to increase the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) by 500 tonnes but the Ministries preferred option is give 300 tonnes of this to commercial fishers and add just 200 tonnes to the 1997 recreational allowance.

Under this option the ministry propose recreational bag limit reductions to four fish greater than 27 cm or an increase in the legal size to 36 cm, allowing a daily bag of nine snapper. Option 2 gives the commercial sector 60% of the increase and they retain the right to catch 25cm snapper.

Mandy Kupenga, LegaSea spokesperson says current commercial quota of 4500 tonnes is similar to 1986 levels. This has been made possible by recreational anglers taking a 70% reduction in bag limits and increased minimum size limits in that same period. Those reductions were made in the interests of conserving fish for future generations of New Zealanders, not propping up commercial shareholder interests.

“New Zealanders are being sold out by the Government. The options proposed are quite frankly disgraceful and just another example of the willingness of our decision makers to turn their backs on the rights and wellbeing of the people to cash in on short term economic gains for a few fishing corporates”.

Unlike commercial fishers, recreational and customary fishers do not have a quota. An allowance is set aside by the Minister to provide for recreational and customary interests and their future needs. By law, this allowance needs to be set first, after which a commercial catch allocation can be set. In reality the reverse is occurring.

Ms Kupenga continues, “The options proposed have nothing to do with increasing the rate of rebuilding the fishery and everything to do with strong arming the public into accepting an antiquated allowance which was set in 1997 based on unreliable research. What’s more, that allowance was set at a time when the fishery was in dire need of rebuilding.”

There is no doubt recreational fishers are willing to continue to conserve fish and reduce their impact on the marine environment even further. In a recent survey over 78% of respondents felt that protecting the wellbeing of fish caught in New Zealand was important and said they are willing to change the way they catch and handle fish.

But recreational fishers need to be treated fairly and the Minister has a duty to act reasonably.

“This proposal is a slap in the face for New Zealanders and we intend to fight to defend our rights.”

In the coming weeks, LegaSea will be taking action to defend the rights of Kiwi fishers. Submissions to the MPI on the proposed management options close on 23 August, visit http://www.legasea.co.nz/snapper1.php to find out more.

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