Devastating fishing
The Conservation Amendment Bill Indigenous Freshwater Fish Clauses 5, 6 and 17 in short will devastate Trout Fishing in New Zealand and these need to be brought to the attention of the many freshwater fishers and other outdoor users.
It gives the Department of Conservation freshwater fisheries management over New Zealand Fish & Game, despite both having the same legal status under the Act. It would allow DOC to remove trout and salmon from rivers or lakes, even if they are significant trout and salmon habitats.
It is likely to result in DOC, iwi and Regional Councils establishing management regimes which exclude trout and salmon.
Anyone authorised under Treaty legislation from restrictions on taking, possessing or selling trout.
This allows Crown and iwi to set aside present rules, it allows the removal of present bans on the sale of fishing rights. It also removes the bans on the sale of sports fish.
It removes the requirement of land occupiers to comply with rules and regulations although they would still need a licence. It opens up potential for direct conflict between Treaty settlement legislation and sports fishing.
Clause 17 removes existing regulations allowing F&G to manage Trout and Sports fish and the bill reduces F&G Councils to be consulted as management of Sports fish to the same level as any member of the public.
New Zealand was once acclaimed the Holy Grail of trout fishing. This is set to disappear forever.
For the price of a F&G licence, you can forget the idea of being out in the fresh air, to relaxing from the pressures of life, keeping healthy and fit and putting fresh food on your dining table. You can forget taking young family or friends out to teach them how to catch a fish, something i have enjoyed over my lifetime of trout fishing.
Unless we all get involved, those well-known words of the 1960s singer Joni Mitchell song “You don’t know what you’ve got till its gone, they paved paradise, put up a parking lot” will become our truth and reality.
Brian Lowe STREAM 2000, Studying Trout River Ecology And Management
Takapau