Nothing
is Broken. Nothing needs Fixing!!
Counties
Sport Fishing Club
12
June 2007
Statement
read out to and endorsed by 220 people attending the meeting held
at the Waiuku Rugby Club on June 13th, 2007.
The Counties Sport Fishing Club has no wish to see the Maui dolphin
become extinct. Many of our club members have sighted these dolphins
over the years.
Our club
is very concerned about possible changes to the way we will be able
to use the Manukau Harbour and other areas along the West Coast
as a result of the Hectors Dolphin Threat Management Discussion
Document and other groups who are advocating change within the Harbour
and along the coast.
Some of
the changes that have been suggested include: A marine mammal sanctuary,
prohibitions, speed restrictions, gear setting restrictions, set
net bans, and seasonal restrictions amongst others.
Our
club is completely against any changes to the current set net ban
that controls the harbour and coast or the introduction of more
regulations.
CSFC has
742 members currently and is a member of New Zealand Big Game Fishing
Council.
Since
the 1st January 2000 the CSFC radio station on VHF channel 5 has
logged 5484 club boats and other non club boats crossing the Manukau
Harbour and Waikato river bars. These boats have contained 16,445
people. We believe our club and its members are well qualified to
comment on this fishery and Maui dolphins as we are probably amongst
the group of people who see these dolphins the most.
During
this time a large number of sightings of Maui dolphins were reported
to Counties Sport Radio, and the forms that were supplied by DOC,
were completed and passed onto them. No record of the exact number
of completed forms were kept but it would be approximately 50. (some
of the forms we have here tonight). Every report except one has
sighted the Maui dolphins either off the coast or around the Harbour
entrances or within the current set net restriction areas.
The one
report from further up the Harbour was from a non club member who
could not confirm the dolphin type and was going to phone in more
information but never did. They would not give any personal details.
They also said there was only one dolphin and the time of year was
August, a time which usually sees the Maui moving further off the
coast. (We have this sighting form here tonight). Most sightings
are in late spring and summer when the weather is more favourable
for boats to be across the bar. We have a chart here tonight that
some club members have marked as to where they have sighted Maui
dolphins.
No club
boat that has been monitored by Counties Sport Radio has ever hit
a Maui dolphin or has CSFC ever heard of this happening within our
club waters.
It has
been suggested that speed restrictions of 5 knots be adhered to
when within 300 meters of Maui dolphins. This is ridiculous, it
is common knowledge that the majority of sightings occur around
the harbour and river bars. If a 5 knot rule was introduced restricting
the speed that vessels could navigate the bars this would surely
result in boats getting into danger as faster speeds are required
to safely navigate the bars.
It is
accepted that the two Maui dolphin that were found washed up in
our area were caught in nets, however both were to be found in set
nets that had broken free and become drift nets. All other recorded
deaths have the likely cause of death listed as UNKNOWN. There is
no record of Maui dolphin becoming tangled in nets that have been
correctly set and managed.
Our club
feels that if further measures are required to further protect the
Maui dolphins then the likes of DOC, MFish and other government
departments should look towards enforcing the laws that already
exist. Fund the employment of more fisheries officers and get more
boats on the water to police the existing laws. Get fisheries officers
onto commercial boats fishing off the coast or monitor them electronically
to ensure they are fishing legally and in areas they are supposed
to be. We all know of the illegal set nets that are set around Puketutu
Island and in the Waikato River by members of the public that have
little or no regard for the regulations but, rarely if ever do we
hear of convictions of these people. Further regulations on top
of the existing rules will do nothing to stop these people continuing
what they do. Invest some money into educating people on the regulations
and rules that exist rather than take away the right of people to
use the harbour and coast as they can now, to solve a problem that
does not exist.
Your own
information as supplied by you in the discussion document shows
that no Maui dolphins have been caught in set nets since the current
set net ban was introduced.
NOTHING
IS BROKEN, NOTHING NEEDS FIXING!!!!!
Written
on behalf of the Counties Sport Fishing Club by,
Mark Franklin,
Vice President.
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