Kahawai
Has Been Privatised
Kahawai
Challenge team
January
2005
Kahawai Legal Challenge
Update NZ Fishing News
February 2005 edition
New Zealand's
second most important recreational fishery in the country –
kahawai, has been privatised. The Minister of Fisheries alleges
that this was done so the kahawai fishery could be better managed.
The New Zealand Big Game
Fishing Council, New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council, New
Zealand Angling and Casting Association and option4 strongly disagree.
These representative organisations believe kahawai have been unjustly
taken from recreational and Maori customary fishers to prop up
excessive commercial quotas. They are certain the Minister, David
Benson-Pope, has failed to properly "allow for non-commercial
fishing interests" as directed by the Fisheries Act.
Recreational fishers intend
to challenge this decision in court and they need your help.
What's Wrong?
This decision rewards those
who have done the damage to the fishery with valuable fishing
quota while ignoring the interests of non-commercial fishers.
The Minister's allocation
decision will not rebuild the depleted kahawai fishery. In fact
it is likely to decline further. Nor will it restore the access
recreational and customary Maori fishers have lost as the kahawai
fishery has plummeted to its lowest ever levels. While non-commercial
fishers are expected to continue to suffer, the Minister has allowed
commercial fishers to catch around 140 tonnes more per annum than
they have managed to catch over the last few years!
Even though recreational
and Maori customary fishers have seen their catches drop by half
since the commercial purse seine fleet has been let loose (see
graph) the Minister wants to cut recreational catch by a further
600 tonnes per annum, a move that will take 1.2 million meals
off the tables of recreational fishers.
Kahawai
Catch by Fishing Group
|
While the Ministry
of Fisheries contend there is no scarcity of kahawai, the
graph uses their figures to show a massive decline in recreational
and Maori customary catch as the purse seine fleet exploited
the fishery in a race to build catch histories and secure
valuable quota rights. |
 |
|
It
is obvious that the activities of the commercial purse seiners
are the cause of the decline in the kahawai fishery and
the cause of reduced recreational and Maori customary catches
of kahawai.
Your representative
organisations are very concerned. If recreational and Maori
customary fishers stand idle and let the Minister of Fisheries
get a way with this unjust allocation process in kahawai,
how long will it be until he takes other precious inshore
species like snapper, crayfish and scallops off you? |
What You Can Do
A Kahawai Legal Challenge
team has been established to coordinate the court case. This team
comprises the best recreational fishing representatives in the
country alongside a formidable legal team from Hesketh Henry Lawyers.
Yes, a court case will
be costly, yet if we don't challenge the Minister's decision,
we stand to lose in every other fishery. How determined are you
to defend what is yours? What kind of New Zealand do you want
your children to inherit?
The Kahawai Legal Challenge
team are working on behalf of us all. Just like you, they are
very concerned and they have put together a free
Supporters Pack. This Pack is a powerful tool that will allow
you to join with thousands of other New Zealanders who are outraged
at losing their right to fish for food and are prepared to do
something about it. It's easier than you think.
Contact Us
