Thread: Inshore fishing under threat?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

A seal cull in the south island would do a lot to balance fish take and recovery imo.

You are aware that the major part of a fur seal's diet is squid, mostly off the continental shelf ?

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

You are aware that the major part of a fur seal's diet is squid, mostly off the continental shelf ?

They seem to like variety. I have watched them at the Waiau river mouth in Nth canty catching flounders. They swam all the way from the sea into lake Mckerrow and cleaned out the sea run trout - a food source that is not natural to them, so they obviously can learn and adapt.
In four years time there will be twice as many as now, what will we do then ?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

They seem to like variety. I have watched them at the Waiau river mouth in Nth canty catching flounders. They swam all the way from the sea into lake Mckerrow and cleaned out the sea run trout - a food source that is not natural to them, so they obviously can learn and adapt.
In four years time there will be twice as many as now, what will we do then ?

NO the major part of their diet is squid off the continental shelf.. variety has nothing to do with anything. Like Berg said they will eat hoki at the back of a trawler, that is opportunism just as is catching a flounder, my guess they would also eat a trout and a herring and a salmon but the major part of the fur seals diet is caught off the continental shelf and it is squid.

I have no idea what we will do in 4yrs time, lets face that IF your guess is correct ... but to go out and slaughter a heap of seals because a seal is seen eating a flounder or a salmon or supposedly cleaned out the entire sea run trout population of lake Mckerrow...nah.

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

NO the major part of their diet is squid off the continental shelf.. variety has nothing to do with anything. Like Berg said they will eat hoki at the back of a trawler, that is opportunism just as is catching a flounder, my guess they would also eat a trout and a herring and a salmon but the major part of the fur seals diet is caught off the continental shelf and it is squid.

I have no idea what we will do in 4yrs time, lets face that IF your guess is correct ... but to go out and slaughter a heap of seals because a seal is seen eating a flounder or a salmon or supposedly cleaned out the entire sea run trout population of lake Mckerrow...nah.

So lets both accept that squid is the major part of their diet. Is squid always available or do they move around ? Is the squid under quota management, if it is wont the exponential growth in the seal population combined with the commercial take put the squid resource under pressure potentially collapsing it, or will seals exploit other fish as a food resource ?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

So lets both accept that squid is the major part of their diet. Is squid always available or do they move around ? Is the squid under quota management, if it is wont the exponential growth in the seal population combined with the commercial take put the squid resource under pressure potentially collapsing it, or will seals exploit other fish as a food resource ?

Lets deal with the known facts not what ifs eh ?

Originally Posted by sore head stoat

Lets deal with the known facts not what ifs eh ?

Page 12 summary

https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rc...rVz-Q4zBvFEWCu

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Page 12 summary

https://www.google.co.nz/url?sa=t&rc...rVz-Q4zBvFEWCu

I notice they don't promote culling .

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

So lets both accept that squid is the major part of their diet. Is squid always available or do they move around ? Is the squid under quota management, if it is wont the exponential growth in the seal population combined with the commercial take put the squid resource under pressure potentially collapsing it, or will seals exploit other fish as a food resource ?

Internationally, the squid populations are exploding due to overfishing of fin fish, particularly by China, Russia and the usual suspects. Also, jellyfish, are much more prevalent in the World's oceans than they used to be, pre the industrial fishing age.

Originally Posted by MarkN

Internationally, the squid populations are exploding due to overfishing of fin fish, particularly by China, Russia and the usual suspects. Also, jellyfish, are much more prevalent in the World's oceans than they used to be, pre the industrial fishing age.

I know the Jelly fish are out of control, I didn't know that was also the case with squid.
All I am suggesting is a pragmatic approach setting emotion aside to achieve a sustainable balance. Do seals or any other non endangered creature have any more or any less right to life ?