Paua harvest review prompts debate

Review of Commercial Access in the PAU 5D Fishery

A community meeting will be held in Bluff tonight to discuss a proposal by the Government to allow commercial paua fishing in areas off limits to the industry.

The Ministry of Primary Industries is reviewing the areas open to commercial paua harvesting in Southland and Otago, including Otago Peninsula, the Clutha River mouth and Bluff Hill, and written submissions can be made on the proposal until April 19.

The public meeting will be held at Te Rau Aroha Marae in Bluff at 7pm with representatives from Paua to the People – a community group formed in Dunedin to oppose the proposal – attending.

Paua to the People spokesman Dave Hodson said the group had engaged with non-commercial paua fishers in Dunedin and around the Otago Peninsula about the Government proposal and now wanted to help inform people in the other areas. En route to Bluff the group would stop at various places along the coast between

‘‘Our main focus is to help effectively inform the public what is happening . . . ’’ Dave Hodson

Dunedin and Bluff to drop off information packs on this issue.

‘‘Our main focus is to help effectively inform the public what is happening and if they want to formulate opposition to the proposal we can show them how.’’

The proposal has some recreational paua fishers worried that it would mean open season on some of the last virgin stocks of large, breeding paua.

Bluff recreational paua fisherman Syd Ball said if the area around Bluff Hill was opened up to commercial fishing it would be ‘‘open slather’’ on the fishery. ‘‘If the proposal is passed you will see about 20 paua boats on the back of Bluff Hill.’’

Recreational fishers did not put a dent in the number of paua in the area, he said. ‘‘I have never seen a bed of paua as good as that at the back of Bluff Hill.’’

Even some commercial paua fishermen he knew had said ‘‘leave the area alone’’, Mr Ball said.

The ministry said if the paua industry was able to harvest an additional 10 to 30 tonnes it would equate to approximately $600,000 to $1.8 million in increased exports. A decision is expected to be made later this year.