Thread: Inshore fishing under threat?

Originally Posted by Gibo

The biggest issue is that local councils have the power to close what is a national resource. Its a fkn joke.

Smoke and mirrors politics. It's harder to pin accountability on a multiple councils and issues like this get lost between bureaucracy and other proceedings. For the record, I'm all for no take zones (for everybody), but it has to be balanced against reasonable access for recreational fishermen.

Originally Posted by MB

Smoke and mirrors politics. It's harder to pin accountability on a multiple councils and issues like this get lost between bureaucracy and other proceedings. For the record, I'm all for no take zones (for everybody), but it has to be balanced against reasonable access for recreational fishermen.

With you there mate. Its good for the fish but there needs to be a balance. I think a rooster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years. I dunno but this seems like they are going to go after every inshore reef.

Originally Posted by Gibo

I think a roster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years.

That would seem like a good solution to me to. In my locality, I would close Whangarei Harbour during snapper breeding season. The fish congregate en masse and are ridiculously easy to catch. They get slaughtered. Obviously, it's summer time and many people only fish at this time of year. Others don't have access to boats that can get them offshore, so it would be a deeply unpopular!

Originally Posted by MB

That would seem like a good solution to me to. In my locality, I would close Whangarei Harbour during snapper breeding season. The fish congregate en masse and are ridiculously easy to catch. They get slaughtered. Obviously, it's summer time and many people only fish at this time of year. Others don't have access to boats that can get them offshore, so it would be a deeply unpopular!

Agree, we are so bad at managing our resources when compared to say Aussie that have no catch during spawning and actually protect the breeding stock all year round with size limits on say snapper no take under 35cm and over 55cm or something similar as an example.

Originally Posted by Gibo

With you there mate. Its good for the fish but there needs to be a balance. I think a rooster system could be good too, close some reefs for x years, open them up and close the other reefs for x years. I dunno but this seems like they are going to go after every inshore reef.

Yep, great time to be a spearo. Literally have our inshore spots reduced by 60% here. As a group we are so reliant on shallow reefs and island structures we get hammered by these proposals