KEY POINTS:
The Government is considering establishing an amateur fishing trust to improve the representation and participation of recreational fishers in management of fisheries.
It has also promised that the 2008 Budget will include funding to expand scientific research to better estimate amateur fishers' catch in key stocks including snapper and kahawai.
It's a step in the right direction.
Unfortunately, an associated move to improve input from amateur anglers whereby a fisheries sector working group will be established to develop joint policy proposals on shared fisheries ignores the group option4, which many weekend anglers regard as their representative in favour of the patsy NZ Recreational Fishing Council. The NZRFC joins Maori representative Te Ohu Kaimoana and the Seafood Industry Council.
The NZ Big Game Fishing Council withdrew its support and affiliation for the NZRFC at its annual meeting last month. The NZRFC struggles to attract a quorum for its meetings. It is little more than a puppet for the Government to play consultation with, while option4 is the organisation taking amateur angler concerns to the High Court.
In another move announced this week by Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton, MFish will start talks with charter operators with the intention of getting them to provide catch records. "This is an important and expanding sector with currently unknown, but potentially significant, local and stock-wide impact on fisheries. We need to work more closely with operators to better understand what impact their activities are having," Anderton said. Further research was needed in a number of areas to close gaps in knowledge about key fish stocks where information was important to both stock assessment and to the allocation of catch between sectors.
There is no doubt the Government's increased interest in spending on research, including recording of amateur catch and fishing effort by boat and fish-counting, has been sparked by the option4-led case over distribution of kahawai quota. The bureaucrats are nervous that the court will scold them for making recommendations to the minister that are not soundly based in fact.
Anderton copped a flailing when he visited Great Barrier Island last week to attend a public meeting and one with local Maori on the proposed marine reserve off the island's northeastern shores. At both the Claris meeting and one on the Barrier marae he was given the clear message the reserve is not supported by the majority, Maori telling him they regard the process that has been followed as relieving them of their rights.
Both the Conservation Minister and Transport Minister have approved the huge reserve and to become reality it needs just Anderton's signoff.
The Hokianga Accord hui at Auckland University last week heard reports from veteran Hawkes Bay commercial fisher Richard Burch who has been researching methods of eliminating bycatch. Burch's work has impressed others including the Guardians of the Sea trust and he has funding to continue looking at measures like trawl net construction and speed of trawl.
He has proved that a square-shaped mesh holds its form better than the diamond mesh generally used, therefore smaller fish are able to escape. Trawl speeds can be adjusted to target specific species - slow for john dory, allowing others to escape.
Burch has all-but eliminated bycatch in his fishing and therefore pays very little to MFish as "deemed value", the amount taken as a sort of fine so as to encourage commercial quota holders to stick to their quota. Probably of more interest to industry will be the fact he is demonstrating significant savings in fuel because the square-mesh nets create less drag.
Whangarei Deep Sea Anglers club held their first bottom-fishing tournament of the new season last weekend with fine weather contributing to a great haul, the bulk of which was filleted by the Tutukaka Lions and donated to Hospice.
Maurice Biller on Harpoon was kingfish champion, landing first and fourth in the section with best fish (14.2kg) and Andrew Keene on Bitchin second.
Mike Smith on Springbokkie had best snapper, at 10.28kg. Top lady angler was Ashlee Farrow on Phantom, with fourth in the snapper section. Best junior was Zane Rawson on Nag Free.
Fishing has been generally good, with evenings the best time, according to Alan Viscovich of Cobalt Charters. The high sun and bright clear days slow things, with juveniles molesting baits during the middle of the day. Move out to the 30-40m mark and fish ledger rigs under the baitfish workups, Viscovich advises.
But during the evenings all the channels are working well, with flasher rigs producing good-condition fish averaging 2kg, with the odd bigger one. Drifting is best if there aren't too many boats around. Rakino Channel is also holding large numbers of fish. Bigger snapper are to be found on the worm beds north of Rangitoto and up to the Tiri Channel.
Viscovich also reported kahawai coming into the Gulf, as well as steady catches of gurnard. "We're getting two or three a trip," he said, echoing the impression from others that the gurnard population as well as that of john dory and blue cod appears to be increasing.
On the Manukau, gurnard remain plentiful despite the water temperature climbing to 18C. They are usually off the coast this time of year but John Moran loaded up last Sunday, anchored in 11m off Big Bay and used light weight to skip baits across the bottom. "The current stopped and so did the bite," he said. He'd tried at 7m and 15m with little luck. "The moral is to test different depths," he said.
There are also lots of seven-gill sharks in the harbour. These are completely docile on a line as led to the boat, fooling many anglers who then gaff them, at which point they go ballistic. Advice is to just cut the line as close as possible to the jaw.
