Time to talk about the future of recreational fishing
The most famous line in the Italian novel, The Leopard, is ‘‘If we want things to stay as they are, things will need to change.’’
To change things so they can stay the same is the message in the New Zealand Initiative’s most recent fisheries report, ‘The Future Catch’.
The report’s starting point are the things that should stay the same.
We know that fishing is integral to the Kiwi way of life. We want to ensure that future generations can still enjoy going out fishing just as their parents and grandparents did. But there is a problem. If we continue to fish as we are, there will come a day when we cannot make a decent catch anymore. And this is why things need to change.
For the past year, I have been working with the New Zealand Initiative to find ways to improve recreational fisheries. This work included looking overseas at the way other fishing nations addressed the problem we are starting to face here.
Last year I travelled to North America and Western Australia. I visited some locations that have become dire for recreational fishers. In the United States’ Gulf of Mexico, for example, population growth and coastal development has caused overfishing and depletion. It has also intensified conflicts between recreational and commercial fishers. And ultimately, it led to severe restrictions on recreational fishing. Private-boat fishers had just three days to fish for snapper in federal waters this year.
Western Australia was an inspirational example.
The Government there has been preparing for increased competition between recreational and commercial fishers. This preparation has led to a more integrative approach to managing fisheries.
This integration includes the Government establishing sectorspecific representatives. The Government recognises Recfishwest and the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) as the peak bodies for sector-level advice and points of contact and referral for sectoral issues.
And Recfishwest (recfishwest.org.au) and WAFIC are funded by the Government to fulfil their roles. What is of interest is that the changes made have altered dynamics between them.
Both collaborate in management to improve fisheries for all fishing sectors. They continue to have their differences. But they have improved the way they find solutions to problems, which is what leads to improved management.
These overseas observations and others are useful in debating the future state that we want for New Zealand’s recreational fisheries. And they are reflected in The Future Catch, which was recently released as a draft for consultation.
During August and September, the New Zealand Initiative will hold a dozen public meetings around New Zealand. These meetings are where we want to discuss our findings and recommendations with anyone interested in securing the future of our recreational fisheries.
We invite all fishing sectors to join in our debate. We believe it is vital that fishers from different backgrounds come together and talk with each other rather than about each other.
At the end of this consultation process, we will gather our learnings and release a final report with recommendations to the new government. It is important that final recommendations uphold the secure rights associated with quota holdings and Treaty settlement obligations.
We all want New Zealand to remain a vibrant fishing nation. But we will need to make changes to achieve this. Join our debate. Dr Randall Bess will hold a public meeting tonight, from 7pm at Scenic Hotel, 65 Alfred Street, Blenheim. Details about this meeting and other meetings can be found on the New Zealand Initiative’s website https://nzinitiative.org.nz/ research/fisheries/