The total allowable commercial catch limit for blue cod has been slashed in Southland waters and the daily limit for recreational fishers may be cut.
The changes follow a survey last year which suggested the abundance of blue cod in Foveaux Strait had declined by 57% since 2018, and the area was significantly overfished, according to a Fisheries New Zealand discussion paper.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones announced new catch limits for several species across New Zealand, beginning October 1, as part of a Fisheries New Zealand biannual sustainability review.
He decreased the total allowable commercial catch limit for blue cod in Southland and sub Antarctic waters from 800 to 580 tonnes, despite the industry preference being 665 tonnes.
Jones said his decision to go 85 tonnes below the industry preference was due to the “significant concerns” regarding the fishery and potential for ongoing impacts from marine heatwaves.
He also decided to decrease the allowance for total recreational fishing from 85 to 62 tonnes of blue cod in Southland and the sub Antarctic, and decrease the allowance for all other mortality caused by fishing from 20 to 15 tonnes.
It was important all sectors contributed to the recovery of the fishery, particularly given the most affected part, Foveaux Strait, was the area most fished by recreational fishers, he said.
Fisheries New Zealand would consult further on changes to recreational management settings, such as daily limits. This would include public sessions in Southland, where issues and options for the fishery could be discussed with Fisheries staff.
The current daily limit for a recreational fisher across most of Southland, including Foveaux Strait, was 15 blue cod, but any proposals for change would first go through public consultation.
Shannon Hawkless, a blue cod commercial fisherman out of Bluff who owned the Glory Days boat, said in August that blue cod numbers were at their lowest level in the 30 years he had been fishing the species.
On Monday, he said he supported the minister’s measures, but believed he should have gone further.
He also wanted the blue cod size limit increased from 33cm to at least 35cm, “so they get to breed more before we catch them”. And he wanted the fishery closed during spawning. “It’s like a farmer sending his ewes to the works when they are pregnant with lambs ... that’s essentially what we are doing.”
Commercial fishers he had talked with wanted strong action, he said.
“If we don’t do something drastic soon, we won’t have a fishery.”
Tamati Paki, a recreational fisherman from Otautau, said some days he caught the 15 blue cod limit and others he didn’t.
He was happy for the limit to be cut if it boosted the blue cod fishery in the long term, he said. “I might have to target different species.”
Jones said most submitters and input from tangata whenua supported a significant reduction in the total allowable catch, however, views were mixed on the appropriate amount.
Elsewhere in the country, scientific evidence showed some snapper stocks were thriving and abundant, with Jones increasing recreational allowances and commercial catch limits in those areas.
“Making the most of these abundant fisheries benefits those who make a living from our fisheries, and the economy.”
Other changes include increases in the recreational and commercial take in the Kaikōura pāua fishery, but also an increase in the minimum size.
- The Southland Times/Stuff