KEY POINTS:
The Government is under pressure to introduce measures to keep tabs on fish numbers being caught by recreational fishers.
The pressure has come from Maori commercial fishers who believe the Government must quantify how much is being taken by recreational fishermen before it moves to cut commercial fishing quota.
Legal action has not been ruled out by iwi concerned that up to $100 million could be slashed from tribal assets by a Ministry of Fisheries proposal to cut quota by 10 per cent on popular recreational species such as snapper, crayfish, kahawai, kingfish and paua.
The Maori Fisheries Trust, Te Ohu Kaimoana, believes the move would slash about $100 million from iwi fishing assets and cost taxpayers up to $1 billion to compensate commercial fishing companies affected by the cuts.
The Government would compensate affected fishing companies if the proposal goes ahead.
Te Atiawa Trust chairman Morrie Love said iwi were unified in their opposition to the proposal.
Not one iwi was in favour of this proposal, with some saying that legal action might be necessary.
Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said the proposal was just that, a proposal, with no decisions yet made.
Representatives of commercial, customary and amateur fishers had voiced their concerns but should put them in writing so he could consider them. While Mr Anderton accepted compensation would be paid if the proposal went ahead, he disputed the amounts being touted.
His position has not eased concerns of South Island iwi Ngai Tahu, who fear the move could see the tribe's wealth slashed by millions.
Chairman Mark Solomon vowed to fight the move, saying the proposal was a knee-jerk reaction. He also called on the Government to quantify the take of recreational fishers to prove that the commercial take needed to be cut.
"We know what commercial and, theoretically, what customary fishers are taking out. What we don't know is what recreational fishers are taking; before we do anything we need to identify what is coming out."
Mr Anderton said he was trying to get better information on the amount of fish being taken by recreational fishers.
He said resistance from the recreational fishing sector to moves to quantify catch had hamstrung the ministry, with proposals being considered.
The fishing industry was litigious, making attempts to regulate and protect the country's fish stocks difficult.
Te Ohu Kaimoana chief executive Peter Douglas said doubts remained about which sector took more from the country's fisheries stocks.
"It's not right to say commercial fishing operations are taking more than recreational fishers. Every sector needs to report its catches because, only then, can we make sure we manage the fisheries environment in a fully sustainable manner."
