Legal challenge to fishing quota to cost $500,000

A legal challenge to the allocation of kahawai quota is a test case that is likely to cost recreational fishing groups $500,000.

For the first time, recreational fishers are taking Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope to the High Court to challenge what they say is serious mismanagement of the kahawai allocation.

The case, which is a joint-initiative by the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council and the New Zealand Big Game Fishing Council, has been lodged in the High Court at Auckland and is set to be heard in May next year.

The fishers argue that the Quota Management System is doing nothing to prevent commercial fishers depleting stocks.

Recreational Fishing Council vice-president Geoff Rowling said the $500,000 the case was likely to cost was being raised entirely through donations.

"We believe that the amount allocated by the Minister of Fisheries to us is too low and the total allowable catch for commercial fisheries is set too high. The balance is all wrong," Mr Rowling said.

He said the case was "more about principles than about kahawai".

He added: "It should have happened 20 years ago, when the quota system was introduced.

"The result will have implications for all species caught by recreational fishers, not just kahawai, although kahawai is a very important species."

- nzpa