Now the increasing number of fishing guides and their clients was straining Otago's "finite and gradually diminishing fishing", and many anglers thought Fish and Game was not doing enough about the issue, Fish and Game members said recently.
Mr Watson said the call for licensing of guides was being done in conjunction with the New Zealand Professional Fishing Guides Association (NZPFGA).
NZPFGA executive member Craig Smith contacted the Otago Daily Times to say the association had renewed efforts for the introduction of a guide's licence because the recent rises in tourist numbers, which was resulting in increased pressure on resources and infrastructure.
Government figures projected visitor numbers to increase 40% and tourist spending 50% between 2016 and 2023, Mr Smith said.
This would make "the challenges we now face more acute", he said.
Mr Smith said as the key industry organisation, the NZPFGA saw "increasing amounts of illegal guiding from both foreign and New Zealand guides, as well as the practice of 'hosting' becoming more prevalent".
"The NZPFGA considers that a guided angler should have a reasonable expectation to be guided by someone that has excellent knowledge of the fishery, and also to be guided in a manner that is safe and legal in all respects.
There are fishing operators active in New Zealand that have no safety plan, no liability insurance, no first aid certificate, and are operating illegally on Department of Conservation estate. It is not a question of 'if' a major incident will occur, but 'when' - be it health and safety, fire, or otherwise."
Mr Smith said although the issue was a nationwide one, concerns were highlighted in Otago because of the high number of designated back-country fisheries in the area.
A memorandum of understanding between Fish and Game and the NZPFGA was agreed in 2015, and both parties were working closely together to provide the evidence and method of introduction requested by the Minister of Conservation to progress the licence, Mr Smith said.
Department of Conservation (Doc) senior statutory bodies manager Rick McGovern-Wilson confirmed earlier this month that in 1996 Parliament voted to "provide a mechanism that could be used to put a licensing system in place".
He said Doc did not support the licensing system at the time.
Ms Sage said she acknowledged Fish and Game's concerns about the potential impacts of fishing guides with paying angler clients on other anglers and their enjoyment of a fishery.
She said she looked forward to receiving an amended proposal from Fish and Game about the issue, and would "consider it and the issues around licensing guides thoroughly".
pam.jones@odt.co.nz
