Harbour plea fails - again

Bid to protect fish stocks from commercial operators 'ignored' by Minister

The Houhora Riding Settlers' and Ratepayers' Association has been trying to protect Houhora Harbour from commercial fishing for some 50 years, but has made no real progress. And the latest response from the latest Minister, Nathan Guy, hadn't changed anything, according to secretary Eric Wagener.

In fact he has told the Minister that it was obvious from his comments that he and his staff had not read the association's submission in support of the harbour being granted recreational status.

"If you had you could not have so completely missed the point," Mr Wagener wrote.

"You have ignored the whole background narrative and merely reiterated your previous Cabinet colleagues' reply, which also totally missed the point.

"You have suggested that we negotiate with the commercial fishermen. This has been tried ad nauseam since the 1960s. Local people will abide with gentlemen's agreements, as they are residents, but outsiders will not.

The recreational value of fish, irrespective of species, far outweigh the commercial take. Hence our request that instead of the usual platitudes, you use your discretion and address the actual issues and (our) request. We formally once more suggest that you do approach our request positively and address the points raised with constructive dialogue."

Mr Wagener said the association had noted Mr Guy's statement that after the election the Ministry for Primary Industries would be proposing that the Hauraki Gulf be given recreational status, since Houhora's request for the same action, making his reply to the association "somewhat hypocritical".

"We wonder, what is the difference between our long-standing fight for harbour recreational status and that which you propose for the Hauraki Gulf?" Mr Wagener asked.

"Once more we point out that this proposal has the support of local government, and is part of the community long-term plan, has the support of iwi, regular visitors from the wider district and tourists from the wider Auckland region.

"We are ever hopeful that this time you will give our request due consideration."

Mr Guy had reminded the association that the ability of recreational fishers to "take a feed" relied on the availability of the species and size of fish sought. The key factor influencing the availability of fish for the recreational sector was maintaining, or increasing, the number of fish. Fishery management aimed to have enough fish available to ensure "reasonable" fishing for all.

The association had not specified the fisheries of concern, and the MPI did not have sufficient quantitative information to determine precisely what effect the current pattern of commercial fishing was having on the harbour.

The amount of fish landed commercially at Houhora had fallen since 2010, but it may have been caught outside the harbour, while fish caught inside the harbour might have been landed elsewhere.

"If you consider there is a sustainability issue associated with the level at which catch limits are set for a particular species, there is a defined process available to address these matters," Mr Guy added.