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Speech To The 2005 NZ Recreational Fishing Council AGM And Conference
by
David Benson-Pope
8
July 2005
Friday
8 July 2005 - 10.30-10.45am
West
Plaza Hotel, Wakefield Street, Wellington |
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Kia ora Tatou. Good
morning, and thank you for inviting me to address your conference.
I am pleased to
be here again. I want to take this opportunity to talk to
you about the sector, and how it might move ahead over the
next three years. |
I would like to acknowledge
the value and contribution that recreational fisheries make to the
New Zealand way of life. This is a theme I would like to return
to in some of the aspects I will talk to you about today - how we
value recreational fishing.
There is no doubt that the pleasure of fishing for recreation is
something enjoyed by many New Zealanders. Be it fishing with the
kids off a wharf; scuba diving for crayfish; or searching the swells
for a big-game marlin; that's about catching fish and the pleasure
of all that goes with it.
This is a diverse and complex sector. Estimates suggest approximately
20 per cent of New Zealanders participate in recreational fishing.
Recreational fishing also attracts foreign tourists.
This operating environment requires that our fisheries resources
and the aquatic environment must be managed with care so that current
and future generations can continue to enjoy the benefits of well-managed
fisheries.
The theme of your conference - 'shared responsibility' is central
to addressing these issues and enabling benefits to be delivered
to all users.
The Government will continue to set the context and boundaries within
which fisheries management occurs.
This involves describing the outcomes or results that we want to
see from the management of fisheries. It also means developing more
detailed objectives for particular fisheries.
To be successful, this process requires the participation of strong
stakeholder groups; groups that are able to work together to not
only define a common purpose for managing a fishery, but also to
be involved in its management.
This challenge involves building organisations that have the skills
and structures to play a more active role in formulating management
objectives and interventions.
I am pleased that the government has taken steps to support recreational
fishers in developing capacity and participation in fisheries management.
One key initiative is the establishment of a Recreational Fishing
Ministerial Advisory Committee. I am sure Peter Ellery; Sheryl Hart;
Max Hetherington, Lorraine Hill; Bob Meikle; Geoff Rowling; and
Kim Walshe will make a valuable contribution.
I was encouraged by the strong interest shown in the establishment
of this committee and the high calibre of the sixty-nine nominations
that were received.
A parallel initiative is the reestablishment by the Ministry of
Fisheries of nationwide regional recreational forums.
These regional forums will be 'representative' of local fishing
groups and will enable improved participation in statutory fisheries
management processes.
Both developments are about recreational fishers participating more
directly in fisheries management.
Engagement with the recreational fishing sector takes place against
a backdrop of increasing demand on the use of 'shared' fisheries
resources. The challenge is to manage the question of allocation
in a constructive way
This is where some of the toughest decisions are made and where
the concept of 'shared responsibility' really matters. A little
later in this speech I will talk specifically about one species
- and two paths that are available to manage it.
The government has been investing in initiatives that will provide
us with more information about fisheries and their management.
A four million dollar increase in research will improve the recreational
catch database.
I know that the Marine Protected Areas strategy is of significant
interest to all fisheries stakeholders. My colleague Chris Carter
and I have said that marine reserves are only one way of safeguarding
biodiversity and we need to be thinking about a range of options
to balance the competing demands on our coastal resources.
In my speech to your conference last year I signalled work was beginning
to review a number of regulations that are in place to manage recreational
fisheries.
The purpose of this work was to provide recreational fishers with
an opportunity to articulate the specific problems that you had
with some of the regulations, and to explore how these difficulties
might be resolved.
I am pleased to hear that there was robust and constructive discussion
during the workshops associated with this review, and that a preliminary
position has been reached on each of the proposals for change.
I expect to make final decisions on the proposed changes in time
for them to be included in the October round of regulation changes.
I see that a more detailed discussion of this review is scheduled
for one of the conference sessions tomorrow morning.
This is a significant project, one of which I am fully supportive.
Again I urge you to get involved and participate.
In recent years we have seen a significant Ministry focus on the
illegal harvest and trade of species such as paua and rock lobster.
A number of significant prosecutions have highlighted the extent
of the problem and the lengths to which offenders are prepared to
go to succeed in their illegal business enterprises.
I am pleased to tell poachers and black-market fishing operations
that they are the target of an $11.6 million crackdown over the
next four years contained in Budget 2005.
This includes $2.9m of operational funding in the coming year to
create a Special Tactics team for covert operations.
This gives us greater capacity to investigate more complex offending.
This initiative will see the development of a major new multi-agency
approach to target black market and poaching activities.
As recreational fishers, your most likely interface with the Ministry's
compliance function is through Honorary Fisheries Officers. After
a review of HFO effectiveness and safety a few years ago the Ministry
restructured it's HFO service.
HFOs now commit to doing at least 100 hours a year and do their
beat work in pairs. I can confirm to you that this restructuring
has seen a massive reduction in the number of attacks on these officers,
while simultaneously recording an increase in the number of hours
delivered.
Tomorrow, Dr John Glaister, the Chief executive of the Ministry,
will provide you with more detail on the Ministry's Statement of
Intent.
John is well qualified to lead the Ministry. He has held various
scientific and management positions in fisheries research and resource
management in New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland,
Australia.
John has a great deal of respect for New Zealand's fisheries management
techniques and is interested in facilitating a higher level of engagement
with the recreational sector and other stakeholders in fisheries
management decision-making.
As mentioned earlier, fisheries resources must be shared among those
who derive legitimate value from them - including recreational,
customary, and commercial fishers. The Statement of Intent acknowledges
the importance of all these sectors and I urge you to take advantage
of the insight he will share with you.
I would add, that those who use fisheries resources also have responsibilities.
Responsibilities include using fisheries in a sustainable manner,
protecting the aquatic environment, and taking only their share
of the available yield.
One of my key responsibilities as Minister is around setting catch
allowances. Last year I made important decisions around Kahawai.
In doing that I took a deliberately cautious approach in setting
the Total Allowable Catch because of uncertainty in information
on the status of Kahawai stocks; doubled with a desire to maintain
and hopefully improve the available stock.
At the time, I undertook to review Kahawai in 12 months time. I
also undertook to commission further monitoring. Though that monitoring
process is far from complete, some initial findings suggest that
recreational Kahawai take is still low, particularly in the Hauraki
Gulf.
The process for reconsideration of Kahawai allocation for 2005-06
has just begun. Yesterday I signed off the Initial Position Paper
(IPP) for Kahawai. This is available now for consultation.
This position paper contains essentially two alternate options for
consideration. Either the status quo, or a rebuild strategy.
These choices are underpinned by two quite different approaches
to the management of shared fisheries.
The conservative no change option could be described as maintaining
the status quo.
The other option is underpinned by a new policy idea - that species
important to recreational fishers should be managed above, or even
significantly above, what fisheries documents refer to as BMSY -
the size of a fish stock that delivers the maximum sustainable yield.
According to the Fisheries Act, "utilisation'' means conserving,
using, enhancing, and developing fisheries resources to enable people
to provide for their social, economic, and cultural wellbeing.
This new approach would effectively give greater recognition of
recreational utilisation.
It would acknowledge that one size doesn't fit all. The optimum
biomass of any fishery is likely to be different depending on the
perspective of the fisher. For the recreational sector abundance
of stock, a corresponding increased catch rate, or ability to catch
larger fish, might be more important than extracting the maximum
sustainable yield.
There is of course a trade off between yield and these other recreational
utilisation qualities. If you want to catch fish more frequently,
the size of the available stock will need to be increased above
that which provides the maximum sustainable yield.
And therein lies the challenge and choice for you and me.
Let me add that under both Kahawai options, no additional recreational
management controls are contemplated. There is no evidence before
me, that the recreational sector is catching the allowance assigned
to it. This issue will need to be monitored on an on-going basis.
I am sure you will be very interested in commenting on the papers
just released and I expect an interesting consultation period.
As I said at the beginning of this address, a fundamental question
is just how do we value recreational fishing.
I hope that your conference is successful, and I again stress the
Government's interest in working together with recreational fishers
to realise the value and contribution that this sector has to offer
our country and way of life.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katao.
ENDS
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