Appendix One

Kahawai Submission - Appendix One

option4

10 August 2005

Individual Analysis of Key QMAs

KAH 1 Quota Management Area

The Minister needs to consider:

• Kahawai is a very significant amateur and customary Maori fishery, second only to snapper in KAH1.
• Non-commercial fishers have a long-standing grievance about the large purse seine target catch and the disappearance of kahawai (surface schools in particular) in KAH1 which was an unconstrained commercial fishery until October 1990.
• Most of the purse seine fleet fished out of Tauranga as home port.
• There were strong commercial incentives to “fish for quota” and maximise the catch history of kahawai and other non-QMS species in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
• Amateur catch rates for kahawai are low in KAH1 (0.15 kahawai per hour) and very low in the Hauraki Gulf (0.07 kahawai per hour) (Source: Bradford 1999. Comparison of marine recreational fishing harvest rates and fish size distributions).
• Amateur catch rates for kahawai in KAH1 have not improved since 1991 and may have declined further in the Hauraki Gulf.
• The size of kahawai in amateur catch has been small. In 2000 the mean weight in KAH1 overall was 1.2 kg and just 0.86 kg in the Hauraki Gulf. Details of the length and age distribution of kahawai in KAH1 over recent years are in NIWA reports to MFish.
• The latest recreational harvest survey estimated just 30 tonnes of kahawai caught over the main summer season in the Hauraki Gulf (equivalent to a single purse seine shot). This implies that recreational catch on its own is not responsible for the poor state of the kahawai fishery in the Hauraki Gulf.
• The Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park Act states that sustaining the life-supporting capacity of the environment of the Hauraki Gulf is a matter of national significance.
• There is strong evidence based on direct observation that there has been a significant reduction in the number of visible surface schools of kahawai in many areas of KAH1.
• Non-commercial fishers do not accept that “this is as good as it gets”.
• The vast majority of New Zealanders in KAH1 want a rebuild of kahawai stocks.
• The social, cultural, economic and amenity value of an abundant kahawai stock in KAH1 is significantly greater to New Zealanders than the commercial export of a low value fish protein.
• Commercial fishers state that they don’t have to go far from port to catch kahawai in the Bay of Plenty.
• The major commercial fishers have agreed and stuck to voluntary agreements with amateur fishers in KAH1.
• The shift of the only two Nelson based purse seine vessels to Tauranga in 2001 has significantly increased the purse seine fishing capacity in KAH1 and will result in more of the KAH2 catch coming from the area adjacent to KAH1.
• The kahawai stock was fished down by purse seine fishers with reported catches as high as 4300 t plus landings of kahawai mixed fish in excess of 3000 per year in KAH1 in the late 1980s.
• The highest estimate of amateur catch is 2200 tonnes per year from the 2000 national telephone and diary survey.
• There is widespread support from Maori and amateur fishers for managing the KAH1 stock at a level well above BMSY.
• KAH1 is significantly smaller than the other kahawai QMA’s and already had a long established and productive amateur and Maori customary fishery prior to the introduction of targeted purse seining.
• The purse seine fishing method was responsible for fishing down the KAH1 biomass. These fishers and companies have benefited with the catch at the publics expense and they should bear most of the catch reduction required to rebuild the fishery.

Conclusion

• Note, that non-commercial fishers reject the option of retaining the status quo or a proportional reduction of allowances from the status quo.
• In order to rebuild the fishery quickly and provide for intergenerational equity the TAC in KAH1 should be set at 3250 t.
• The Minister shall allow for non-commercial interests before setting the TACC. This should be based on the best available information. The Minister should allow 2200 t for amateur fishers and 550 t for Maori customary catch.
• The Minister should set the TACC at 430 t, which will cover genuine bycatch by commercial fishers and allow 70 t for other sources of mortality.

TOP

KAH 2 Quota Management Area

The Minister needs to consider:

• Kahawai is a very significant amateur and customary Maori fishery, topping the harvest estimates in 2001 in front of snapper and blue cod in QMA2.
• Non-commercial fishers have a long-standing grievance about the large purse seine target catch and the disappearance of kahawai (surface schools in particular) as a target species in an unconstrained commercial fishery until October 1990.
• There were strong commercial incentives to “fish for quota” and maximise the catch history of kahawai and other non-QMS species in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
• Amateur catch rates for kahawai target fishing are low in KAH2 (in Hawke Bay 44 % of target trips were successful and average catch per target trip was 1.05 kahawai) and very low in the Wairarapa (37% of target trips were successful and average catch per target trip was 0.68 kahawai). (Source: Bradford 1998. National marine recreational fishing survey1996: catch and effort results by fish zone).
• The mean weight of kahawai in the amateur catch in 2000 was 1.6 kg. Details of the length distribution in KAH2 are in the MFish rec_data database.
• There is strong evidence based on direct observation that there has been a significant reduction in the number of visible surface schools of kahawai in areas of KAH2.
• Non-commercial fishers do not accept that “this is as good as it gets”.
• The vast majority of New Zealanders in KAH2 want a rebuild of kahawai stocks.
• The social, cultural, economic and amenity value of an abundant kahawai stock on the East Coast, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa is significantly greater to New Zealanders than the commercial export of a low value fish protein.
• The shift of the only two Nelson based purse seine vessels to Tauranga in 2001 will shift the purse seine fishing activity in KAH2 from the Wairarapa and the lower North Island to East Cape where the customary fishery may be even more adversely.
• The kahawai stock was fished down by purse seine fishers with reported catches as high as 1660 t plus landings of kahawai mixed fish in excess of 1500 per year in KAH2 in the late 1980s.
• The highest plausible estimate of amateur catch is 820 tonnes per year from the 2001 national telephone and diary survey.
• There is widespread support from Maori and amateur fishers for managing the KAH2 stock at a level well above BMSY.
• KAH2 is larger that KAH1 in area but the coastline would be similar in length.
• The Purse seine fishing method was responsible for fishing down the KAH2 biomass. These fishers and companies have benefited with the catch at the publics expense and they should bear most of the catch reduction required to rebuild the fishery.

Conclusion

• Note, that non-commercial fishers reject the option of retaining the status quo or a proportional reduction of allowances from the status quo.
• In order to rebuild the fishery quickly and provide for intergenerational equity the TAC in KAH2 should be set at 1170 t.
• The Minister shall allow for non-commercial interests before setting the TACC. This should be based on the best available information. The Minister should allow 820 t for amateur fishers and 205 t for Maori customary catch.
• The Minister should set the TACC at 115 t, which will cover genuine bycatch by commercial fishers and allow 30 t for other sources of mortality.

TOP

KAH 3 Quota Management Area

The Minister needs to consider:

• Kahawai is a very significant amateur and customary Maori fishery, second only to blue cod in KAH3.
• Non-commercial fishers have a long-standing grievance about the large purse seine target catch and the disappearance of kahawai (surface schools in particular) as a target species in an unconstrained commercial fishery until October 1990.
• There were strong commercial incentives to “fish for quota” and maximise the catch history of kahawai and other non-QMS species in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
• Amateur catch rates for kahawai target fishing are low in KAH3 (Tasman Bay and Golden Bay 31 % of target trips were successful and average catch per target trip was 0.69 kahawai) on the south east coast of the South Island kahawai have all but disappeared from amateur catch. (Source: Bradford 1998. National marine recreational fishing survey1996: catch and effort results by fish zone).
• The mean weight of kahawai in the amateur catch in 2000 was 1.6 kg in KAH3. Details of the length distribution in KAH3 are in the MFish rec_data database.
• There is strong evidence based on direct observation that there has been a significant reduction in the number of visible surface schools of kahawai in areas of KAH3.
• Non-commercial fishers do not accept that “this is as good as it gets”.
• The vast majority of New Zealanders in KAH3 want a rebuild of kahawai stocks.
• The social, cultural, economic and amenity value of an abundant kahawai stock on the around the South Island is significantly greater to New Zealanders than the commercial export of a low value fish protein.
• The shift of the only two Nelson based purse seine vessels out of KAH3 and into KAH1 will significantly reduce the targeting of Kahawai in KAH3. Consequently bycatch has been quite low in recent years.
• Historically, this QMA supported the largest kahawai fishery in New Zealand.
• The kahawai stock was fished down by purse seine fishers with reported catches as high as 5700 t plus landings of kahawai mixed fish in excess of 3000 t per year in KAH3 in the late 1980s.
• The highest estimate of amateur catch is 670 tonnes per year from the national telephone and diary surveys.
• There is widespread support from Maori and amateur fishers for managing the KAH3 stock at a level well above BMSY.
• KAH3 is the largest kahawai QMA in New Zealand but in the southern half abundance can be low or seasonal.
• The Purse seine fishing method was responsible for fishing down the KAH3 biomass. These fishers and companies have benefited with the catch at the publics expense and they should bear most of the catch reduction required to rebuild the fishery.

Conclusion

• Note, that non-commercial fishers reject the option of retaining the status quo or a proportional reduction of allowances from the status quo.
• Note: that commercial catch history may not fully reflect the historical size and potential kahawai bycatch in the QMA3.
• In order to rebuild the fishery quickly and provide for intergenerational equity the TAC in KAH3 should be set at 930 t.
• The Minister shall allow for non-commercial interests before setting the TACC. This should be based on the best available information. The Minister should allow 570t for amateur fishers and 140 t for Maori customary catch.
• The Minister should set the TACC at 205 t, which will cover current and potential bycatch by commercial fishers in KAH3, and allow 15 t for other sources of mortality.

TOP

KAH 8 Quota Management Area

The Minister needs to consider:

• Kahawai is a very significant amateur and customary Maori fishery, second only to snapper in KAH8.
• The purse seine target catch has not historically been large in KAH8 and mainly in the south half which used to be part of KAH3 pre-QMS.
• Amateur catch rates for kahawai target fishing are not as low as the other QMAs.

Table 1: Recreational catch per kahawai target trip in KAH8

 

• Non-commercial fishers do experience reasonable catch rates at times in the northern areas.
• The mean weight of kahawai in the amateur catch in 2000 was 1.3 kg in the old area KAH9. Details of the length distribution in KAH8 are in the MFish rec_data database.
• The social, cultural, economic and amenity value of an abundant kahawai stock on the west coast of the North Island is significantly greater to New Zealanders than the commercial export of a low value fish protein.
• The shift of the only two Nelson based purse seine vessels out of KAH3 and into KAH1 will reduce the targeting of Kahawai in the southern areas of KAH8.
• Historically, this QMA supported the smallest kahawai target fishery in New Zealand.
• The kahawai reported catches peaked in the old area KAH9 at 800 t plus landings of kahawai mixed fish of up to 600 t per year in the late 1980s.
• The highest estimate of amateur catch in the new KAH8 area is 525 tonnes per year from the national telephone and diary surveys.
• There is widespread support from Maori and amateur fishers for managing the KAH8 stock at a level well above BMSY.
• KAH8 is the second longest coastline of the kahawai QMAs in New Zealand.
• The commercial catch is largely genuine bycatch of the trawl and set fisheries in the region.

Conclusion

• Note, that non-commercial fishers recognise the need to provide for commercial bycatch.
• Note: that recent commercial catch history may reflect the potential kahawai bycatch in the KAH8.
• In order to maintain the sustainability of kahawai KAH8 the Minister should set the TAC at 1250 t.
• The Minister shall allow for non-commercial interests before setting the TACC. This should be based on the best available information. The Minister should allow 525 t for amateur fishers and 130 t for Maori customary catch.
• The Minister should set the TACC at 565 t, which will cover current and potential bycatch by commercial fishers in KAH8, and allow 30 t for other sources of mortality.

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