Snapper Quotas

[Guest]

From my in box:

 

Media Release – for immediate release

 

26 July 2013

 

SOS – Save our Snapper!

 

Commercial exploitation of our snapper resources will alienate the public from an important food source if proposed management changes are implemented. A national advocacy group, LegaSea, is challenging the proposals as unfair and is encouraging all New Zealanders to stand up for their interests.

 

Recreational fishers are rejecting all three options put forward by the Ministry for Primary Industries to rebuild the snapper 1 fishery spanning East Northland, the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty.

 

“Many families are struggling to put decent food on the table and if the Ministry goes ahead with their plans then there will be more hardship, especially in the regions, says Mandy Kupenga, spokesperson for LegaSea.

 

“What we’re facing is a loss of fundamental rights, a loss of income for business owners, and importantly a loss of food on the table for families.

 

“It’s ludicrous that all of the main options proposed mean massive cuts to recreational catch while abhorrent dumping of hundreds and thousands of undersized snapper occurs each year – by the commercial sector. This waste must be addressed before the people of New Zealand are penalised any more,” says Ms Kupenga.

 

Option one of the proposed changes translates into a 24% cut to recreational catch, while commercial quota is unchanged. The cuts could be imposed with a mixture of lower daily bag limits and increased minimum size limits for recreational fishers.

 

Option two means a 19% cut to recreational catch while commercial quota is INCREASED by 7%!

 

Option three is a recreational catch reduction of 30% for the public and a mere 7% cut for industry.

 

LegaSea are undertaking a campaign to “Save our Snapper”. They say the reasons are simple.

 

• All of the main options are clearly biased to the commercial sector.

• None of the options address commercial waste.

• The public will be significantly affected.

• Local recreational and marine businesses will suffer losses as will the local economy.

• Ministry advice has favoured commercial quota holders over public rights and this is just another example.

 

Mandy Kupenga, LegaSea spokesperson also says, “Since 1985 recreational fishers have taken four cuts in their catch in order to conserve fish. In contrast, commercial quota is still at levels similar to 1986. As recreational fishers we have done more than our fair share to rebuild the snapper 1 fishery – it’s time the commercial quota owners came to the party”.

 

In early August LegaSea will make it easy for people to have their say and send a submission to the Ministry on this topic. They encourage fishers and the public who care about the future to take advantage of this by heading to www.legasea.co.nz/snapper1.php

 

To further help people understand what’s at stake and answer questions LegaSea is holding a series of public meetings throughout the snapper 1 region starting in Whakatane on the 5th of August and finishing in Auckland on the 15th of August. More details can be found on their website or by calling 0800 LEGASEA (534 273).

 

 

Ends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background information

 

1. Over 1 million Kiwis enjoy fishing every year. Protecting our marine environment, our fisheries and our access to these, is vital to the Kiwi way of life and our national well-being, now and in the future.

 

2. LegaSea was launched in February 2012 and is the public outreach brand for the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. Our aim is to collectively protect our precious fishing resources for people, our communities and future generations of New Zealanders. LegaSea raises awareness facilities people working together, promotes education initiatives and provides an opportunity for people to unite in action, to stand up for and protect our rights to better fisheries management.

 

www.legasea.co.nz

 

3. All relevant information for the snapper 1 fishery including regular updates can be found here:

 

http://www.legasea.co.nz/snapper1.php

 

4. The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council (NZSFC) has been advocating for recreational interests in the marlin fishery since its inception in 1957. In more recent years it has extended its advocacy to many other fisheries management, policy and marine protection issues. The NZSFC has 54 member clubs with 32,000 affiliated members.

 

www.nzsportfishing.org.nz

 

5. Section 8 of the Fisheries Act 1996 outlines the purpose of the act as follows:

Purpose

(1) The purpose of this Act is to provide for the utilisation of fisheries resources while ensuring sustainability.

(2) In this Act— ensuring sustainability means —

(a) maintaining the potential of fisheries resources to meet the reasonably foreseeable needs of future generations; and

( avoiding, remedying, or mitigating any adverse effects of fishing on the aquatic environment

Utilisation means conserving, using, enhancing, and developing fisheries resources to enable people to provide for their social, economic, and cultural well-being.

[Guest]

Dear Manager

 

REQUEST TO PROMOTE THIS ISSUE

 

The long-awaited review on the Snapper 1 fishery, which includes the Hauraki Gulf, East Northland and Bay of Plenty, has been released. The review outlines three proposals that could see the recreational snapper limit slashed from nine to just three. The affects on the recreational fishing industry could be devastating from boat dealers to tackle shops.

 

The 1st of October will see these proposed changes coming into effect unless the government are stopped. If these proposals are accepted then recreational fishers may see huge cuts to their bag limits yet the commercial operations don’t have any changes. The MPI won’t stop here and it is believed that they next area is the West Coast fishery.

 

The public can express their views and make submissions on the proposals until August 23. Send your submissions to Inshore Fisheries Management, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2526, Wellington 6011 or email to FMsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz by 4pm on Friday, August 23.

 

After this, Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, will make his decision and any new legislation could come into force as early as October 1.

 

Your submission on this review is paramount otherwise MPI will steal our recreational right to fish based on guesswork. If you don’t take the time to put in a submission then don’t complain on October 1st when the catch limit is reduced.

 

LegaSea have launched an online tool that will enable the public to send a submission to the Ministry, their local MP and the Minister. Any help you can provide promoting this will be much appreciated tapping into social media, databases, newsletters, email, you tube and all communication mediums available will help. Unity and strength in numbers is what they're aiming for.

They will also be releasing an online Snapper Action Pack that people can download to help spread the word (not everyone's on the internet!). This is a paper version of the submission with supporting information, especially handy for retail outlets that are face to face with people. We'd be happy to provide these to you.

 

LegaSea will be conducting a series of public meetings throughout the snapper 1 area to share information and answer questions. Details of these will be in the Action Pack, on the website and in brochures. We encourage everyone to use the social media Facebook, emails and club newsletters to distribute this information.

 

Anyone who would like to hand out this brochure at boat ramps is welcome to contact Legasea and get them posted out.

 

These run with a series of stations with information, an 'attendant' and not much conversation – especially if you ask hard questions! Legasea will have people at each meeting handing out our brochures and information and available to answer questions out the front!

 

Check out the Fishing and Outdoors newspaper FREE and online at http://fishingoutdoors.org/082013/

www.facebook/fishoutdoors

www.legasea.co.nz

www.facebook.com/legasea

 

cheers

Graham Carter

Editor

[wheels 543]

Sorry I simply don't have any sympathy for them. The Bag limit here in the Gulf is ridiculous and needs to be dropped. If they are complaining about numbers here, they need to take a look at Marlborough and that might give them a shake up or wake up perhaps the better word.

[Changed 10]

Personally I would reduce limits, but no so drastically, increase the size and hit those who transgress with a bigger hammer! Increasing the extent of marine reserves and their locations would also help. Why not draw a line from The Corromandel through the Barrier to Cape Rodney and just ban the commercial fishers?

[Battleship 100]

Have to agree Wheels, they should be taking the higher ground and welcoming the new limits whilst also trying to get the commercial limits reduced.

[Guest]

It's your website David, feel free to promote as many one sided arguments to push your own barrow as you want. Did you seek any comment from the commercial operators?

[Guest]

No, I cut and pasted a press release that appeared in my inbox and left it open for discussion. Feel free to comment.

[Guest]

I don't see who the press release is from. Is it from the hippy tooth fairies? If, as a publisher, you choose to release propaganda, you have a moral obligation to balance the story or your publication lacks credibility.

But, it's your website.

[Guest]

This is a public forum, I haven't said anything, If it is on the front page you can consider it editorial content.

The name of the person who wrote the press release and his publication is there, look more closely.

[Guest]

I read this blog about the commercial side of things and how change needs to happen with how they catch there fish

 

However I feel that there are currently there are some issues with the return that we get from fishing. Firstly the way that we gather the fish is largely through seining and trawling. These two methods of catching fish result in a large by-catch and do significant damage to the fish in the process of catching them. As a result any fish that are not wanted are not often able to be returned to the sea alive, and when they are, they are often in poor condition and unlikely to survive.

 

The quotas need to be dropped for both if the fish stocks are to remain healthy and around for a long time. A boat with 4 people on it do not need 36 snapper....that is overkill and we can change the way we fish commercially as well.

 

the rest of the article is here

 

http://keepingstock.blogspot.co.nz/2013 ... urces.html

[Guest]

No, I cut and pasted a press release that appeared in my inbox and left it open for discussion. Feel free to comment.

The writer is shown but not the publication. I accessed this from the forum, not the homepage. It may be a public forum but if you want to maintain credibility then you, as easily identified owner, should seek balance in your postings. Just saying.

[Guest]

Cut and paste from the original post:

 

Check out the Fishing and Outdoors newspaper FREE and online at http://fishingoutdoors.org/082013/

 

cheers

Graham Carter

Editor

 

 

I regularly start threads here to prompt discussion, often after something pops up in my inbox, like a press release. I shall continue to do so.

 

If you have an opinion you'd like to share on the topic of snapper quotas feel free.

[Guest]

Selective C&P as there were 2 outfits in the original second post with no definite source and the first post doesn't credit anybody, but hey, it's your barrow, don't push it over a cliff though.

[Guest]

So you have nothing to add to the discussion?

[Guest]

Not at present as it is many years since I was a commercial fisherman but I still get tired of the bashing they get from ill informed people. If you really wanted rigorous debate you would have posted this on a commercial fishing forum. such as pro-fish, commercial skipper etc.

[wheels 543]

I took it as an Email sent to Squid and He has posted it on behalf.

[John B 106]

I'm not going to bother reading it, but I have heard that 'they' want to increase the take size to 350.

Thats just typical NZ throw the baby out with the bathwater ,over the top bureaurocrat inspired theoretical rubbish. Like the lifejackets for dinghies.

270 is obviously too small, no one I know keeps snapper that size anyway, but 350? too big.

Any logical brain would see that an incremental shift up to a nice round figure like 300 would acheive the desired goal ,and be workable.

I'd have no problem if the bag went from 9 to 7 say. Personally ,after filleting 5 , I've had enough.

[Deep Purple 514]

Looks like I agree with most so far. I can't catch fish, I try but I'm hopeless but I have family members heavily into fishing, in fact one is or was on the NZ Recreational Fishing Council. They seem to be able to catch their limit of fish wherever they go and the fish are massive.

 

And since they don't read this forum...... I think it's way too much. As mentioned, a party of 4 bringing home 36 fish? Surely 5 each and 300mm would be more than enough.

[Guest]

if anyone is interested

[philstar 61]

I can't catch fish to save myself either but I work with fisho's and sail with afew keen fisho's too.

consensus seems to be there is no shortage of snapper in the hauraki gulf, coro area and why a drop in bag is necessary is unclear.

However most fishers I've encountered reckon an increase in size limit and drop of bag to 7 would be fine as long as the commercial fishos give up something too.