Lower catch of kahawai

The overall kahawai catch is being reduced by 15 per cent from October 1.

Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope said yesterday that he was being cautious in setting the total allowable catch because of uncertainty about stocks, but recreational fishers would get the lion's share.

"Recreational and customary users' share of the catch is to be set at a level 45 per cent greater than the catch of commercial users.

"I acknowledge that there will be an economic impact on commercial fishers and there will be a need for constraint in the recreational catch, but these decisions reflect the importance of kahawai to recreational and customary fishers," he said.

Kahawai has been managed under a permit system, but from October 1 it will be brought into the quota management system.

- NZPA