NZBGFC INITIAL VIEW ON KAHAWAI IPP 2004

Ministry Propose Quotas for Kahawai

1. The Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) have distributed the Initial Position Paper (IPP) proposing recreational, customary and commercial catch limits for 19 species including kahawai, swordfish, yellowfin tuna and mako shark. These species have been gazetted for introduction to the Quota Management System (QMS) on 1 October 2004. This is a brief summary of the kahawai proposal and issues. We have until 27 February 2004 to prepare submissions.

NZBGFC Kahawai Policy

2. The Recreational Fishing Council and NZ Big Game Fishing Council have had a policy for several years that kahawai should be managed as a recreational only species. The Minister decided last year that kahawai will be introduced to the QMS and the following Quota Management Areas (QMAs).
   

        Figure 1: Quota Management Areas for kahawai.

3. The Ministry have used average catch information over the last 5 years (and some arbitrary guesses of customary harvest) to recommend the allowance for each sector. They present only one option.

4. MFish say that the importance of kahawai to recreational and customary fishers supports the need for caution when setting catch limits.
5. There is no change to amateur bag limits or introduction of size limit proposed.
   

Issues with the MFish allowances:

6. Setting the TAC by adding up what each sector has been catching implies that MFish is happy with the current management in this fishery. This is not the view of recreational or customary fishers. There is still an obvious decline in school kahawai in many areas.
7. MFish does not see any need for reallocation of catch from one sector to another based on kahawais high recreational value and low commercial value.
8. The recreational harvest estimates are based on the average of the 1996 and 2000 (or 2001) national surveys. Fundamental errors in the 1996 survey have recently lead MFish to conclude that the 1996 results should not be used and that the 2000 and 2001 surveys provide the best estimates.
9. In fisheries of importance to customary Maori fishers it is MFish policy to set the customary allowance as equal to the recreational allowance. This is a very important customary fishery but 2800 tonnes looked a bit big so the customary allocation is half of the recreational estimates.
10. For 3 of the 5 years used in setting the commercial TACC in KAH1 the purse seine catch limit of 1200 tonnes has been exceeded. This excess catch was illegal and should not be counted.
    
    

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Issues with the kahawai fishery

11. The fishing industry may claim extra allocation by arguing for an extension of the qualifying years into the mid or early 1990s. But catches in the most recent fishing years have been down. Sanfords annual report comments on the downturn in the Australian crayfish fishery resulting in less demand for kahawai.
12. The fishing industry has said that it is uneconomic to steam too far to catch kahawai. This is why most of the catch comes from the western Bay of Plenty. The average port price for commercially landed kahawai is quoted in the MFish paper is 43c per kg. The year before it was 34c per kg.
13. The Minister must be asked to consider what fishery maximises the benefit to the nation – purse seiners full of crayfish bait for Australia or a rebuild of the recreational and customary fisheries.
14. Local depletion is a concern in areas where the kahawai fishing is concentrated. The QMS is not good at dealing with local depletion issues. Requiring fishing effort to be spread may prevent local depletion and make it harder to fill low value orders.
15. The voluntary agreements that that restrict how close to shore the purse seiners can fish and to avoid targeting kahawai in the western Bay of Plenty in the summer months should be retained.
16. Kahawai used to be one of the most accessible fish to recreational fishers. It can be found in most inshore habitats: reef; beach; estuary; and harbours. It is great for kids learning how to fish and is an important part of the diet in many coastal communities. It is the people’s fish.
17. Kahawai has a high value as part of our natural environment. It is one of the few species that can form impressive surface schools. They drive krill and small fish to the surface so are have an important interaction with terns and other sea birds, while kahawai themselves are an important food source for larger predators. Surely it is good for NZ to see a return of the kahawai schools on our coast.

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What we need to do

18. We need people who fish, and clubs and organisations that represent them, to reply to the Minister. Tell him why kahawai is important to you and how you would like the fishery to be in the future.
19. Ask him why is this valuable resource being exported at rock bottom prices when our recreational and customary kahawai fisheries are in trouble.
20. Ask him why the Ministry of Fisheries has not offered any management option other than continuing current catch tonnages in the quota system.
21. Keep in touch with recreational groups who will be working hard on this issue.

Read the full details on the kahawai IPP, related documents and submission details here »

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