Recreational fishers who are preparing for battle over a potential reduction in the daily limit bag for snapper in Snapper 1 have a powerful ally in Parliament.
United Future leader Peter Dunne said last week that he strongly supported calls by recreational fishers for the Ministry of Primary Industries to dump the planned new catch limits in the Snapper 1 fishery from October. The plan would see the maximum daily recreational snapper take on the east coast from Northland to the Bay of Plenty reduced from nine to three.
No changes have been proposed for commercial catch limits, a situation Mr Dunne described as absurd.
"Well over half the annual catch is in the commercial sector, yet it is recreational fishers who are being asked to bear the brunt of the new management plan," he said.
"I understand the concern of recreational fishers who feel that these changes are a done deal, even though public submissions on the proposals are open until August 23.
"For many recreational fishers these proposals are a further example of imbalance in the ministry's approach to the recreational fishing sector, which always seems to regard their interests as secondary to those of the commercial sector."
Mr Dunne called on recreational fishers to make submissions to the ministry opposing the change, and to lobby their local National MPs to persuade the Minister to reject the proposals.
Submissions may be mailed to Inshore Fisheries Management, Ministry for Primary Industries, PO Box 2526, Wellington 6011, or emailed to FMsubmissions@mpi.govt.nz.
Following consultation the ministry will compile a final advice paper summarising ministry and stakeholder views, and give that advice, with recommendations, to the Minister.
Meanwhile Evan MacKay, speaking on behalf of the recreational fishing clubs at Houhora, Doubtless Bay, the Hokianga, Whangaroa, Bay of Islands and Tutukaka, said last week that the proposed changes would have ramifications far beyond the ability of the locals to catch a decent meal.
"People won't bother coming all the way up here from Auckland if they're only allowed three snapper a day," he said.
"And the charter boat industry will be in trouble. Why would anyone pay a lot of money to charter a boat for a daily maximum of three? That will impact on tackle shops, bait shops, and eventually everyone else."
The clubs had no problem with commercial long-lining because it was far more discriminatory than trawling, which they believed should be banned. Trawlers, Mr MacKay said, targeted small snapper (they were not bound to comply with the minimum size applying to recreational fishers), and it was they that were doing the damage.
LegaSea (www.legasea.co.nz) had organised a series of public meetings, the northernmost in Kaikohe on Monday next week (August 12), venue to be confirmed.
LegaSea, under the banner 'Save our Snapper,' has vowed to fight the proposed changes, arguing that cutting the recreational limit would be the fifth significant reduction (and increased size limits) since 1985; the commercial take was still at levels similar to 1986; the first priority was to address the "abhorrent" wasting of undersized fish by the commercial sector; and that the proposed options would not rebuild the fishery by more than one per cent over five years.
One of the proposed options for rebuilding the industry, LegaSea claimed, was to increase the commercial quota by the equivalent of 300,000 one-kilogram snapper.
"This madness has to stop," a spokesman said.
"The Government's endorsement of commercial waste while targeting recreational anglers is outrageous."