Fishing: Kahawai anglers ready for court

Recreational fishing representatives will file their statement of claim against the Minister of Fisheries David Benson-Pope over his allocation of kahawai in the High Court next Wednesday.

The New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council, the Big Game Fishing Council and pressure group option4 will ask the court to direct the minister to review his decision because it was based on flawed information and because the quota allocation does not satisfy section 21 of the Fisheries Act, which requires him to "allow for the interest of recreational and customary fishers".

There is growing support from Maori for the push to end purse-seining of the kahawai schools. Some agreement was reached between iwi representatives and the anglers at a hui in the Bay of Islands in April and a second meeting is being arranged, with the common theme "more fish in the sea".

The fact that the quota allocation is based on catch history, and that fishing companies conducted an intensive targeting of kahawai in advance of the decision so as to grow their catch history, is a major bone of contention. Option4 describes the commercial attitude as "let's pig out on kahawai".

"Our argument is that the minister has not allowed for our interests in kahawai even though he has given us an allowance of hundreds of tonnes. It is outrageous that the minister can set an allowance and ignore the reality that these fish are not available to catch."

The recreational catch rate for the area of main fishing pressure, Bay of Plenty to North Cape, is 865 tonnes but it is believed only around 300 tonnes are caught.

Despite hundreds of hours interviewing amateur fishers at boat ramps, the research group Niwa had failed to reach its target of measuring 1500 fish in each of east Northland, the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty.

The summer of 2004 was the worst so far with only 764 kahawai measured in the Gulf, option4 says.

Figures for 2005 are still being compiled but it's believed there is no major change, despite fishers enjoying an unusual run of schooling fish in the Gulf. It appears industry effort was concentrated further north.

The recreational representatives hope to be in court before the end of the year. The case will not be affected by any change of Government as any order in favour of a review will also apply to a new minister.

Go to www.kahawai.co.nz or option4.co.nz for more information. (Links at the bottom of this page.) 

The trout fishing in the Rotorua district has been "fantastic" according to Fish and Game officer Steve Smith, with lots of rainbows in the 3-5kg range and one angler taking a 7.4kg brown trout from the Ngongotaha stream.

The fishing in many rivers and streams and some lakes closes at the end of this month. The experienced had been taking advantage of the best fishing in a decade, Smith said.

"It's because we've had two good summers following a good breeding season. The three-year-old fish people are catching are an average 1.3kg heavier than they have been in recent years."

Anglers are getting good bags in shorter time than in recent seasons, with the average fly-fisherman's catch recorded as one fish every two and a half hours.

Stream mouths have been best early morning and on nightfall. Boaties are still taking fish by jigging and harling. One US visitor was thrilled with 55 trout in a week.

Big winter snapper have been in close around the Hauraki Gulf islands, with straylining the best method. Some have also been taken off the west coast as the easterly winds pushed swell down. Use big, messy baits like a half bonito head, fillets of kahawai or butterflied fresh mackerel and be patient.

The Ministry of Fisheries is expected to release details of the state of the west coast snapper stocks any day now and it will be all bad news.

It is believed the SNA8 fishery which covers the North Island West Coast is down to between 8 and 12 per cent of virgin biomass.

The Fisheries Act requires the minister to maintain stocks at 20 per cent or more.

Industry will have to take cuts. It is also a given that the recreational daily bag limit of 15 snapper will be a target, with a reduction to the limit of nine that applies on the east coast sure to be raised.