KEY POINTS:
The longer the kahawai quota debate rolls on, the more likely it is that amateur anglers will face cuts to the allowable daily catch and the imposition of a size limit.
At present, the recreational or food-fisher can take up to 20 fin-fish and while limits are imposed on other species such as snapper, kingfish and hapuku, it is permissible to take 20 kahawai.
Don't bank on that continuing.
The decision by Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton to back away from a rushed change to kahawai quota distribution is the only sensible one given the lack of any new data and the time it will take to gather the required information.
But once that research work is done, it's a surety that the issue of a smaller daily bag and a size limit will come up. It's one that will impact primarily on the Maori community which relies on kahawai for food _ few Pakeha fishers take 20 kahawai and far too many still consider it to be nothing better than bait.
A change to that attitude would undoubtedly assist the recreational groups that have been fighting for a change to the way quota is allotted, seeking more emphasis to be put on food for locals ahead of industry exports.
The bulk of the commercial kahawai catch is still exported for crayfish bait, earning a minute fraction of the $1.3 billion income from seafood. So the kahawai case is like a line in the sand for all parties - industry is concerned at what will happen to snapper and other high-value quotas should the amateur groups win over this low-value one.
After several seasons where kahawai were rare in the Hauraki Gulf, this year has provided a bonanza of big fish. Schools of fish up to 3.5kg have been common right up the east coast through the Bay of Islands to the Far North.
Kahawai is first catch for most kids and the most likely species to be taken from a wharf, pier or rocky headland. It should be recognised as a cultural icon in this country, with industry take limited to by-catch that is sold on the local market.
Severe depletion of the blue cod fishery in the Marlborough Sounds has led Mr Anderton to close the area for four years from October 1, 2008 to October 1, 2012.
Previous attempts to halt depletion by reducing bag limits and increasing the size limit have not worked and in some areas of the Sounds the population of juvenile blue cod has declined by 57 per cent since 2004.
So it will soon be illegal to take blue cod from Pelorus, Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte Sounds and the Tory Channel, the last added not because the fish are in low numbers there but rather because the area would be hammered because of the closure if it was not included too.
The decline in blue cod population is accompanied by a 40 per cent rise in boat registrations in the area in the past 10 years and increasing pressure from Wellington anglers crossing Cook Strait.
Mr Anderton indicated that the management of the fishery longer-term would be placed back in the hands of the local community which should come up with a plan for sustainability.
The weather has dictated terms on the fishing front for some time now, just a few boats out on the Hauraki Gulf on the good days mid-week and the fishing hard. Bite-times have been short, usually with no sun on the water.
The bite is slow and lacks aggression so good touch is needed, straylining with a long trace best method. Soft baits such as pilchard and bonito will work best or tie shellfish baits on with bait elastic. Move a lot was the advice from charter operator Eugyn de Bruyn on "Sea Genie".
The Manukau has cleared and regained salinity after all the rain last weekend, the ebb tide producing good hauls of gurnard, reports John Moran.
There are still some big kahawai in the harbour too. Best bait is salted bonito.
