Anglers appalled at Labour's recreational fishing ideas.

Anglers are appalled at the policy and ideas being advocated by Labour's candidate for Kaikoura, Janette Walker, and the support she has gained from Gareth Morgan, the Green benefactor who has ideas of aerially poisoning Stewart Island with 1080 and caging the family cat.

Alan Simmons, Outdoors spokeperson for United Future and an active angler was gob smacked when he read of her ideas presented to a meeting of Marlborough Recreational Fishers last week and then championed by Gareth Morgan as politician of the week.

Labour's Ideas of licensing and charging all anglers and using the funds to buy quota from the commercial fishing industry will infuriate recreational anglers. Furthermore Janette Walker and Labour are talking about reducing recreational catches as commercial demand increases forcing anglers to buy back their rights to their fish.

Anglers would be horrified at such thoughts being expressed from one of our two main political parties and will vote accordingly says Alan Simmons.

United Future's policy of recreational only fish species and recreational only fishing areas is exactly where anglers see the future. The fish belong to the people of New Zealand not the commercial companies said Mr Simmons and it is about time we claimed our fish back. How did the peoples fish end up being owned by huge commercial fishing companies? They plunder it to sell to overseas markets while the people of coastal communities struggle to catch enough fish to feed their families or are forced to pay exhortation prices in the supermarket.

Our fish stocks and small coastal fishing fleet have been decimated by corporate manipulation of the quota system and anglers will be angry at Labour who have obviously been charmed by commercial interests, while posing as a party of the people.

Janette Walker and Labour should talk to Legasea, (The NZ Sports Fishing Council) and find out what the real situation is before making such appalling statements.

It is only through organizations like Legasea that the people of New Zealand are made aware of the real state of our fisheries and their advocay on these issues has to be complimented.

Mr Simmons called on everyone in NZ to reject such ideas and for anglers to use this election to claim back their fish.

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