Thread: Nelson recreational fishers beware.

Pair feared rope would sink boat | Stuff.co.nz

Snapper survey could see changes | Stuff.co.nz

Far out that's a bit rough . You wouldn't want to be diving

This is not an abundance, it as a slow partial recovery from the absolute rape of the fishery when I was a young boy.

"The current pre-spawning abundance of snapper in Tasman Bay has brought fresh attention to this fishery, which is a prime focus for recreationalists and important to the commercial sector"

He said there wasn't enough up-to-date information to make any changes and he would maintain a cautious approach. It was a decision that dismayed the commercial sector, which saysthere is so much snapper bycatch - which by law must be landed and paid for at "deemed value" if they can't buy quota to cover it - that it makes coastal trawling uneconomic.

Good fuck off away from shore then.
"But while the commercial fishermen have been asking for a 100-tonne increase, recreational fishers, getting record hauls from Tasman Bay, especially on 25-hook setlines, are beginning to talk about possible regulation to protect the biggest snapper in the spawning season, from October mid-December"

While I agree with putting the big ones back(they taste like cardboard anyway) this is absolute crap, the fishery is recovering and all of a sudden its record catches! what a load of arse,you are only allowed 10 and you steam 6-30km to drop 2 long lines run 5 rods as well and get ten?

My grandfather and father used to catch a feed of snapper at will off the beach at best/bell island all year around and there is only water there 4 hours of the tide.

"Inspections on boat ramps and in Tasman Bay had so far failed to uncover excess numbers or undersized fish being taken." No surprises there.

This is what fucked it and it is finally on the improve but still has a long long way to go,increasing quota now will see it never recover!

"Ministry figures show that following the introduction of pair trawling in the 1970s, the national commercial snapper catch peaked at 18,000 tonnes in 1978 but had fallen to 8500-9000 tonnes by the mid-1980s. The decline was emphatic in the top of the south, where 4500 tonnes was landed in the peak year, and in 1989-90 the area seven catch was set at 160 tonnes. It was increased to 200 tonnes in 1997 and hasn't changed."

I am not just a prick with a dingy whinging, I fished commercially for 9+ years and know how the industry works.

It will never happen but I would like to see no commercial fishing within 10km of any point of land in the bay, it is not like the rest of our island. It is basely one big estuary.

I was fishing 4km from the nearest point of land this morning in a dingy and still only in 6m of water and it is bloody rare I can get out that far.

I would suggest drawing a line between Cape Sousis and Pit head, Outside trawlers / Inside commercial fishing to be longline only.
I ain't big on rules and don't really agree with the views in this article as the writers are fishing more often than most and therefore can afford to make the statements they do.
I am no longer a member of the Dawnbreakers s I cannot stomach some of their views on commercial fishing. They are basically seen in the same vein as Used car salesman

No different to the 3 times a week hunter making statements about banning the shooting of hinds, or yearling or stags. Who are they to tell the guys who are only lucky enough to get out once or twice a year and if they are lucky see a deer that they should pass up the shot.

We have far too many rules, regulations and nanny state now, more is not required
Snapper bonanza sparks warning | Stuff.co.nz

Who am I to say the once or twice a year fisherman cant keep their 10 fish if they want. All comes down to your own attitudes I ain't ever kept 10 (limit for snapper here) but who knows in the future.

Note: some of you who know me will know I work in an industry closely supporting the commercial fishers so I kinda have a shoe in both camps as it were

Yet the rest of the year it is hard to catch anything on 25 hooks, reducing the number of hooks is not the answer.
Public humiliation of those keeping ten massive snapper per person on board is what will work, they are only doing it to boast and when the people they boast to say "25-30 pound! why didn't you put it back ya wanker even your cat won t like eating that what are you going to do with ten of them? dig em into the garden? that's all those fuckers are good for" etc etc etc they will soon stop taking them and take photos or keep the eating size they are putting back(probably dead) to get their ten whoppers.

For the record I think long lines are cheating and not fishing as a sport or recreation, in a good fishery they are totally unnessacarry, we didn't use to need them to get a feed.

Like you Mikee I don't begrudge anyone using one(a long line) to get a feed as often it is the only way you will get one. But if we had a healthy fishery as we once did not long ago it wouldn't be necessary to use one.

Estuaries and bays are no place for trawlers. I remember seeing trawlers off the Rangitata Mouth in the 90's. Bet they weren't fishing for Kahawai.

Originally Posted by Yukon

Estuaries and bays are no place for trawlers. I remember seeing trawlers off the Rangitata Mouth in the 90's. Bet they weren't fishing for Kahawai.

Agree with the first bit but To be fair in all my years working in fishing related industries (maintainance roles) and some of it in Timaru)) I have never ever seen a salmon come off a inshore trawler (ie fresher, no processing facilities). While they could be going into the fish meal plants of the bigger factory vessels I guess I some how doubt that too.

I would suspect that more likely the lack of salmon in the 90's had more to do with environmental conditions including river flows.
My uncles and grandfather still did alright but then 90% of the fish are caught by 10% fisherman. Dad got 29 last year out of the Rakaia but mum pipped him with 30

Originally Posted by mikee

Agree with the first bit but To be fair in all my years working in fishing related industries (maintainance roles) and some of it in Timaru)) I have never ever seen a salmon come off a inshore trawler (ie fresher, no processing facilities). While they could be going into the fish meal plants of the bigger factory vessels I guess I some how doubt that too.

I would suspect that more likely the lack of salmon in the 90's had more to do with environmental conditions including river flows.
My uncles and grandfather still did alright but then 90% of the fish are caught by 10% fisherman. Dad got 29 last year out of the Rakaia but mum pipped him with 30

Salmon numbers do seem to be very cyclic. I only really fished for them whilst on holiday in Temuka, so some years would be good, and others awful, depending on river levels. I caught my last salmon in the Opihi, about 1km upstream from the mouth in January 2013.

Has anyone on the forum fished the Wairau? I've been meaning to for years, but never got around to it.

The latest "fishing paper" had a bit of info about Salmon down at Kaikoura and where you could legally take them in the sea but had to still stick to their legal limits. All I quietly know is that two persons know to me have seen salmon in the tide at Kaiks neither shot the fish they saw but described adult fish at takeable size, in the surface layer.