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No
rush, wheel, cry and skirmish
of tern, gull, and
petrel.
No flick, swirl, flash and flurry of
Kahawai.
Our heritage now commonly a
silent, empty,
lead-grey sea.
Once, not long
ago,
any time, any where
on any northern coast,
without want, without fail,
easily, sustainably,
with
Great Sport, Huge Fun,
Always Excitement,
and
More than a little
Wonder,
A Fine Catch and
a
Worthy, Reliable
Meal …..
there was always, always
One for you and
One for me.
Fish of Inestimable
Value,
Everyman's Fish Forever….
(or so we all thought,
but….),
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Greed,
illimitable plunder,
disaster unforeseen
by
Bureaucrats appointed to
manage and control,
but
with No Quota Applied!
(although freely
given
to
‘more desirable fish‘!)….
From Insignificant
By-catch to,
No.2 in inshore catch,
to
Rapid, Huge Decline….
stuff of bait and
fertiliser and
low value, bulk fished
because
‘it was there' and
without limit….
work for winter bulk
fishers
when skipjack faded
with the summer.
God what a bloody, hideous, wanton
Waste!
How dare greedy thoughtless bulk exploiters, and managers
uncaring, deny a
Great New Zealander,
no less than tui,
pipi or black tree fern,
the right to Thrive
and Us All derive
Great Pleasure
and Reward.
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