option4 Update #136

John McKoy is the chief fisheries scientist of our largest research agency, NIWA. He recently conceded there is limited knowledge about fish population sizes and sustainable catch levels, and much of the research is guesswork.

National value

Surely the Minister can see that, on a per kilogram basis, there is far more value to our nation in rebuilding kahawai stocks to better protect the marine ecosystem and provide for people’s well-being, than supporting the barely profitable purse seine catch, exported mostly as catfood and crayfish bait?

We all want to see healthy abundant oceans with more fish in the water. New Zealanders need access to kaimoana now and in the future.

Restoring kahawai stocks is a great way of achieving this with little adverse impact on the fishing industry or exports.

MFish discuss maximising non-commercial values, but their preferred option in Area 1 is a 30 tonne reduction in commercial quota, from 1075 to 1045 tonnes, and a 750t reduction in recreational allowance (based on a guess) to 900t. Not good enough.

To accomplish any measurable rebuild in Area 1 the total allowable commercial catch (TACC) must be reduced by 500 tonnes, not the proposed 30t. Such a small reduction is less than the current variation in annual commercial catch and merely represents a ‘Claytons’ cut.

option4 and other groups support increasing the overall recreational allowances in Kahawai Area 2 (Cape Runaway to Cook Strait) and Area 3 (top of the South Island). This would give a majority share of those fisheries to non-commercial interests and reduce commercial to bycatch levels. No changes in daily bag limits are proposed.

John McKoy has 37 years experience so we ought to take note when he says, “for most fish stocks we don’t know much at all – in other words you guess”.