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The
Minister's Final Decision - Red Gurnard (GUR3)
(GUR 3 - South-east Coast, South-east Chatham Rise, Southland and
Sub-Antarctic)
My initial
proposal for GUR 3 was that it be included in the AMP for
a further five-year term, commencing from the 2002-03 fishing
year, with a TACC of 700 tonnes.
After
reading stakeholders' submissions on GUR 3, and noting MFish's
final advice and conclusions, I have decided to include this
stock in the AMP for a new five-year term but with a TACC
of 800 tonnes. I have also agreed to an allowance for recreational
interests of 3 tonnes based on diary surveys. In the absence
of quantitative information on non-commercial Maori catch,
I have agreed to an allowance of 3 tonnes to allow for customary
utilisation, within an overall TAC of 806 tonnes.
MFish
does not hold sustainability concerns about the GUR 3 fishstock
because catches have not been anywhere near the level of the
previous 900 tonne TACC. It should also be noted that there
were problems with the analysis in 1996-97 that resulted in
the increase to 900 tonnes. The proposal put forward to retain
GUR 3 in the AMP is a new proposal, and as such must be assessed
on a fresh basis.
I have
agreed that GUR 3 should be retained in the AMP for a new
five year term on the basis that the decision rule has not
been invoked and the agreed monitoring programmes and associated
analyses have been undertaken. However, I do not believe that
any of the arguments put forward by stakeholders support retaining
the 900 tonne TACC, although I acknowledge that, based on
current trends, a TACC of 700 tonnes would be slightly exceeded.
In order to allow for any increase in recruitment, and increased
by-catch due to changing vessel deployment and fishing grounds,
I have agreed to a TACC of 800 tonnes.
It is possible that, as industry contend, a change is occurring
in the fishery in terms of vessel deployment and fishing grounds,
although this will only become apparent over a number of years.
Setting a TACC of 800 tonnes will allow for by-catch from
the target trawl fisheries such as flatfish and red cod.
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