Fishers see way to stop marine reserve

By ANNE BESTON environment reporter

Angry fishers are threatening legal action over Waiheke Island's new marine reserve, saying "conservation extremists" want to lock away the coastline.

The New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council, representing more than a million hobby fishers, believes the 700ha Te Matuku reserve at Waiheke Island announced by Conservation Minister Chris Carter last week was open to legal challenge.

Council executive member Max Hetherington said the proposal breached the Marine Farming Act because there was an oyster farm within the reserve boundary. The act says reserves cannot be created where there is a marine lease or licence within the proposed area.

Mr Hetherington said fishers were exploring whether they could lodge a legal challenge before the Governor-General gazetted the reserve in June.

But a spokesman for Mr Carter's office said the reserve's boundary skirted around the oyster farm, raising doubts about legal action.

Fishers say they will also go to court over the Taputeranga marine reserve along Wellington's south coast. Although it was signed off by former Conservation Minister Sandra Lee, it has yet to be signed off by the Minister of Fisheries, Pete Hodgson, as required under the present law.

"We are waiting to see if [Mr Hodgson] approves it and if he does, we will go to the High Court and we have enough pledges of money to be able to do it," Mr Hetherington said.

A 52,000ha marine reserve to the north of Great Barrier Island proposed last week by the Department of Conservation has particularly outraged recreational fishers. If it went ahead it would be the biggest marine reserve near the New Zealand mainland and the first to extend to the 12-mile territorial limit.

The marine reserves issue is looming as a major conservation battle this year. The Marine Reserves Bill now before Parliament gives the Conservation Minister sole responsibility for creation of marine reserves, bypassing the Minister of Fisheries.

Mr Carter has made it clear that reserves are a top priority between now and the next election and has told Department of Conservation staff to put together suggestions on how the Government's stated target - of 10 per cent of New Zealand's marine areas being under some form of protection by 2010 - can be met.