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L E T TERS CONTINUED… "tidied up." Why then, a year after the Ministerial Inquiry, are we still reading of rule violations and abuse of crews? R Lea Clough, Napier SHIP'S BELLS Dear Sir Regarding ships bells and the suggestion in Professional Skipper magazine March/April page 65, that they may no longer be carried. Don't the collision regulations still require a vessel at anchor in restricted visibility to ring a bell for five seconds every minute at the fore end and if over 100m follow this with a gong sounded aft? I believe a bell is a survey item to allow for this. Mike Hudson, MNZ Recognised Naval Architect. Mike, I believe you are correct. Ed… CAREFUL READING Dear Sir My multiple-target letter "Writer's Critic" was at first titled "Write With Care." Now, in reply to Dennis Nisbet, I am saying, "Read With Care." The wharf shed power payment issue was, as I wrote, a demand by the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust. It was foolish and, obviously, did not go beyond that, so both companies pay for their own power. On monies owed by Black Robin Freighters, my legal adviser says that it is highly unlikely that a defunct company can still be held accountable. I look forward to legal moves to recover the funds with interest. The most disturbing aspect of the current competition and its accompanying war of words is the issue of dobbing, as laid out in Dennis's response. At the public meeting in Waitangi last year, I cited a circular, originating from one of Chatham Island Shipping's most vociferous supporters, which accused Kelvyn Leslie and South East Shipping of malpractices. On the grounds that dobbing the other side into any authority was likely to harm the whole Chatham Islands community, I urged everyone to cool it. Kelvyn advises me that this sort of thing happens to him every voyage, but he does not believe that Dennis is responsible. I am sure that both principals are behaving correctly, but I know their supporters only too well – I am connected by blood and marriage to many. This sort of thing is not new. Years ago, when two other ships were vying for the Chatham's trade, I was on the council, Need a break ? from the water? Subscribe to RV Travel Lifestyle Magazine, sent to your home, plus receive the digital version for only $50.00 for both.(Save $23.40 rrp) SUBSCRIBE FROM ONLY $50! Digital subscriptions can be read on the device of your choice. Ph: 06 306 6030 Email: subs@rvmagazine.co.nz 4 Professional Skipper May/June 2013 www.rvmagazine.co.nz and both sides were dobbing each other in. I also reported for The Chatham Islander monthly. I supplied a photograph and a neutrally-worded article on a particular piece of skullduggery by one line's agent. There was much unpleasantness over it, with one side complaining of biased reporting. My editor refused to print my rather vitriolic rebuttal. Dennis Nisbet and I have exchanged quite civil emails on these matters, and we are at the stage of agreeing to disagree, I think. R Lea Clough, Napier BROADFISH BILLFISH Dear Sir Regarding last issue's letter from Stu Morrison of Altair Fishing, Professional Skipper March/April page 4. I have seldom read such a self-serving load of bilge as Morrison's anti-recreational fishing diatribe. The Billfish Moratorium was put in place last century at a point where, due to the kind attentions of the commercial fishing fleets, it was becoming as rare to see a marlin in New Zealand than as it is to see a yellowfin tuna here now. His assertion that this moratorium was put in place "only to make it easier for recreational fishers to get their buzz catching and torturing marlin," is plain bollocks. The moratorium was put in place to ensure that recreational anglers were ABLE to catch a fish – fish which were being wiped out by commercial fishing pressure – as well as to protect and enhance a multi-million dollar tourism resource, namely that of game fishing. The rights or wrongs of tagging and releasing versus killing of recreationally caught fish is quite irrelevant, it is clear that Morrison merely wants a return to the open slather murder of these fish by commercial operators for his own short-term, short-sighted personal profit. It has been proven beyond all doubt, just look at the laughable "accidental bycatch" of Broadbill by the tuna longlining fleets, until these fish were put into QMS, that if Morrison were able to catch and land marlin, naturally only "accidentally caught" of course, then it would be roughly 3.2 seconds after this rule change was enacted that commercial fishermen would begin "accidentally bycatching" these fish just as fast as they possibly could. I wouldn't say "targeting" because surely you cannot "target" and "accidental bycatch" can you? Hey, if this were to happen, I would not blame the fishermen in the slightest for doing so, those are just pointy nosed dollar bills swimming around out there of course. However, there is no doubt whatsoever, that within a season, there would then be no more marlin in our waters than there are yellowfin tuna now. Recreational fishermen do have a right to reasonably expect a share of a fishery. One of the trade-offs at the start of the Billfish Moratorium was that Broadbill would be allowed to stay a commercial species. Now Morrison wants to grab back the marlin for himself as well. Many businesses and communities along our northern coasts rely on a recreational Game Fishing industry for their work, profit and survival, and if the cost of having these hundreds of people having a living, and of game fishermen having something to actually catch, means that poor Morrison has to return, alive or dead, any marlin he catches, well, that is just his tough luck. Nice to see blinkered greed is still alive and well in some sectors of the commercial fishing industry's higher echelons. Stu Cawker, AKA Captain Asparagus, Matamata