Stuart Nash: Time to ensure healthy fish stocks

Stuart Nash.

About a month ago I launched a campaign to ensure that our in-shore fish stocks return to the once-healthy levels that many people who fished in Hawke Bay a generation ago remember.

The main outcome I am seeking at this point is a 10-year moratorium on commercial fishing within a 50-metre depth from the shore.

This depth follows a reasonably clear contour broadly following the coastline from Mahanga in the north to Porangahau in the south. Recreational fishers will still be able to fish within the no-go zone.

The reason why the 50m depth measure, rather than a distance from the shore, is because all commercial vessels have sophisticated depth-sounding equipment, so it's easy to determine a depth rather than a distance from shore.

I do want to be clear from the outset that there is no politics in sustainability and our Hawke's Bay brand, and so this isn't an effort to discredit a government minister or have a go at National, because I believe this issue affects so many from right across the political spectrum that this is one of those times when we must all come together and do what's right regardless of our political affiliations.

I am the first to agree that every decision affecting someone's livelihood must be evidence-based and robust, and the evidence I have that fish stocks are declining is not scientific and peer reviewed to the point that we can say with credible certainty that fish have declined by a set percentage.

However, rather meticulously collected catch data from Hawke's Bay Game Fishing Club show a marked decline in recreational fishing successes over the years.

This is enough evidence for me to recommend the 10-year moratorium because 10 years is sufficient time to allow the marine scientists to do their work in order to fully determine the state of the fish stocks, the impact of trawling on the seabed and for fish stocks to replenish.

What I would expect is such a working group (led by the Hawke's Bay Regional Council, as they have the legislative mandate to manage the sustainable health of the in-shore seabed, but in partnership with other key organisations like the Ministry of Primary Industries) to come up with a series of recommendations that will meet the long-term needs of the environment and the residents going forward.

The impact of trawling on the seabed is an interesting issue. I am certainly no marine scientist but I am told that microbes exist that actually "eat" all the bad stuff flowing into the Bay from a number of our rivers (that themselves contain fertiliser and farm run-off in the form of nitrates and phosphates and other "nasties").

What trawling does, when equipment is dragged across the sea floor, is disturb this delicate balance thus preventing the rehabilitation of the Bay in a way that promotes a healthy ecosystem and thriving fish.

The first stage in the process is to hold a stakeholders meeting, which we are in the process of planning right now. I have invited all interested and affected parties, including representatives from Ngati Kahungunu, the fishing industry, Department of Conservation, Hawke's Bay Regional Council, LegaSea, Ministry of Primary Industries, Seafood New Zealand and others who have a stake in our fisheries and the health of the Bay.

The aim of this meeting is to determine whether there is common ground upon which we can all agree and start working on the terms of reference that will eventually deliver a workable solution to an issue that concerns many in the Bay.

This is about finding positive outcomes that achieve sustainable results in a way that benefits all from the Bay, but especially those who like to throw a line off the beach and catch a meal, take a trip in a tinnie with the expectation of a decent catch and head out with mates in order to enjoy a day on the water with great results - for this generation and those that follow in perpetuity.

I will keep you updated on how this goes but if anyone wants more information or to be part of the process, please don't hesitate to call my office.

- Stuart Nash is the Labour MP for Napier.

- Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz