New blue cod strategy not enough for some
Some Southland fishermen believe the new national blue cod strategy does not go far enough to focus on recreational catch limits.
Minister of Fisheries Stuart Nash launched the strategy this month, and Southland was highlighted as an area of largescale fishing.
Some of the proposed shortterm changes include introducing a national standard fish size of 33cm, with 30cm in specific areas, and an education campaign on responsible blue cod fishing, with a review of Southland’s total allowable catch for commercial operators set for 2019.
In the medium term, a seasonal and area closure would be introduced to protect spawning.
Riverton fisherman Cyril Lawless said a lowered personal catch number for recreational fisheries was missing from the strategy.
‘‘I think the recreational limit is too high – you can go home with about 15 kilo of fish.’’
Under the new strategy, recreational fisheries were largely unaffected in Southland. The limit remains at 20 blue cod per day with a minimum size of 33cm.
The rise in recreational fishing was obvious and a concern for the industry, said Lawless, who has been fishing in Riverton for several years.
‘‘Twenty years ago you’d be lucky to see one small boat on the horizon. Now there are 10 or 15 trailers in the parks and you’ve got people fishing everywhere around your boat.’’
Recent changes to rules with record keeping and monitoring had pushed Lawless to sell his blue cod quota.
In the strategy, the commercial quota for blue cod in Southland sits at about 1452 tonnes per quota, double that of the region with next highest quota.
The current quota for commercial fisheries was high, with quota owners usually not catching their full quota limit, Lawless said. ‘‘In my quota we’d be allocated 1300 tonnes and we’d only catch around 1100.’’
Mana charters owner Shane Bryan, of Bluff, said he was also disappointed the catch limit for recreational fisheries had not been changed.
‘‘I survive on recreational fishing as a charter business and my view is that needs to be cut in half. That needs to be changed.’’
Nash said the number of people fishing for blue cod had increased during the past 20 years and most blue cod lived within a small area, causing stock numbers to fall.
‘‘My view is that needs to be cut in half.’’ Shane Bryan