| Consensus
Letter to the Minister of Fisheries
Shared
Fisheries Policy Process
option4,
NZBGFC, NZRFC and Ngapuhi
19
May 2006
The Minister of Fisheries
Jim Anderton
Parliament
Wellington
Dear Minister,
Last Friday, 12th May
2006, representatives of NZRFC, NZBGFC, option4 and Ngapuhi met
to discuss The Shared Fisheries Project and in particular review
the Update
# 1 dated 3 May 2006.
Our understanding is this
project was instigated to resolve outstanding issues surrounding
the placement of recreational fishing within the allocation and
management of New Zealand's fisheries resources. It is in essence
a continuation of the work started several years ago to "clarify
and better define the recreational right".
Although we accept the
resolution of the many outstanding issues will have some implications
for other stakeholders, we are surprised, to say the least, at the
list of key issues, comments and suggestions, contained in the update.
The list appears to have been somewhat "sanitised" from that we
would have expected to see.
We realise that the second
set of bullet points (listed below) are expected to provide the
parameters of the project and that our issues raised at earlier
meetings may still be included in the final discussion paper. The
list of themes given is:
- Setting the TAC to manage above Bmsy
- Allocation of the TAC
- Managing sector allocations
- Finer scale spatial management
- Improved information
- Recreational fisheries management capacity.
Just so there can be no
misunderstanding in the future we want it recorded the following
issues (amongst others) have also been raised and need to be included
in the project.
- Manage key fish stocks at or above or significantly above Bmsy
- Recognise historical over allocations of key fish stocks to
commercial interests and the need to reassess TACC'S
- Allowance for illegal take and commercial method mortality
should be removed from the TACC, not the TAC
- Deeming in excess of the TACC should be removed from the following
years TACC
- Rewrite the 'Approved Statement of Procedure for the Resolution
of Disputes' - June 1998
- Development of an agreed upon process for determining a fair
and flexible allowance for non-commercial fishing interests
- Acceptance that the non-commercial catch and quality of fishing
has been suppressed due to commercial fishing
- Acknowledgment the fish down phase to MSY (and more often than
not, significantly below Bmsy) causes a major reallocation from
non-commercial to commercial
- We also require acknowledgment that when fisheries are allowed
to be fished down below Bmsy, that this is the moment in time
when fisheries become insufficiently abundant to allow for non-commercial
interests
- Removal of the MLS from commercial bulk fishing methods of trawl,
purse, Danish seine and set nets
- The need for detailed case studies of popular shared fisheries
clearly explaining the implications and likely outcomes for the
various stakeholders of policy options being promoted
We raise these issues
as we see resolution to many of them being fundamental to achieving
parity for the recreational sector. Unless the framework is completed
to enable delivery of the intent of "The
Moyle Promise" then we see little or no progress being made
and any attempt to alter the present wording of section 21 of the
fisheries Act will be met with fierce opposition.
We are sure that you want
to achieve a just outcome for all in these longstanding issues but
remind you that a good outcome for the public of New Zealand will
not be achieved by any fixed proportional share.
We remain
Yours faithfully
Keith Ingram
President NZRFC
Jeff Romeril
President NZBGFC
Paul Barnes
Project team leader option4
Sonny Tau
Chairman Te Runanga A Iwi
O Ngapuhi, Hokianga Accord
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