Recreational Fishing Report Released
A report and summary of submissions from the "Soundings" public consultation process on the future management of marine recreational fishing was released recently. The report was prepared by the Ministry of Fisheries-NZ Recreational Fishing Council joint working group that ran the consultation process. The consultation process not only revealed widespread support for change to the administration of marine recreational fishing, but diverse and conflicting views on what that change should be. As expected beforehand, licensing for marine recreational fishing has been roundly rejected by the fishing public, and the Government seems to be saying that it is dead in the water.
Recommendations from the working group are aimed at helping in the development of policies to:
- better define the public share of and access to fisheries;
- improve the management of recreational fishing;
- rule out licensing;
- improve education and information on fisheries management;
- improve measurement of the recreational catch; and
- seek more input and participation of iwi in future policy development.
Where to From Here
It's planned to move things forward in stages, rather than relying on sudden, massive changes. The first priority is to make it easier for the recreational sector to be involved in policy development and fisheries management. Other useful first steps will include:
- finding ways to improve information on the recreational fishing catch and effort;
- opening new lines of communication with and between recreational fishers and Maori; and
- improving the procedures for resolving disputes between recreational fishers and other interests.
| The joint working group report and summary of submissions are available at www.fish.govt.nz, and a full set of submissions is available for public scrutiny at the Auckland, Wellington, Nelson and Dunedin offices of the Ministry of Fisheries |
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 00 83 33
Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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