Anglers back new national body
THE NEW ZEALAND Angling & Casting Association says it has endorsed the formation of a statutory national body open to, and made up of, all recreational fishers of New Zealand. The organisation would have to be non-partisan, independent and with no managerial structures or loyalties to any existing fishing organisation or fishing disciplines, the NZACA said. While the NZACA endorsed the principle of the right of every New Zealander to freely go down to the sea to fish, it also realised that every recreational fisher should share in meeting the costs of research and conservation. It said the New Zealand Recreational Fishing Council continued to do a worthwhile job but it had limited funding and not all fishers gave it their allegiance. No existing national group could adequately carry out the role envisaged for the new organisation.
SKIPPER ADMITS RAMMING CUTTER
MICHAEL JOHN LEMBERG admitted causing a collision between the Dolphin Watch Ecotours boat he was skippering and an Outward Bound cutter in February when he appeared before Judge Tony Zohrab in the Blenheim District Court. Eight Outward Bound students on the cutter received minor injuries. Lemberg, aged 49, admitted failing to maintain a proper lookout as required under the Maritime Offences Regulations.
Judge Zohrab ordered Lemberg to pay
$200 reparation to each of the 12 students on the cutter and pay $2000 reparation to Outward Bound.
Judge Zohrab did not fine Lemberg because of his financial position, as he lost his job following the crash. However, he praised Lemberg for his actions after the crash. He put out a mayday call and rescued students from the water. Lemberg had also accepted the crash was a mistake and was remorseful. "You are otherwise a good citizen who has made a mistake," the judge said.
In brief… Call to cut forage fishing
Reduced catches of small oceanic foraging fish may be required in some ocean areas to protect larger predators that rely on them for food, says a study by Australia's national scientific research agency. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation examined the broader ecosystem effects when forage fish were harvested at the maximum sustainable yield level. The researchers found forage fishing had a large impact in the five areas studied (the northern Humboldt, the southern Benguela and California currents, the North Sea and southeastern Australia). "Anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel and krill are often the main food source for larger predatory fish, marine mammals and seabirds," said Dr Tony Smith of CSIRO's Wealth from Oceans Flagship programme. Forage fish account for over 30 percent of wild fish caught for human or livestock consumption. "Halving fishing rates would greatly
reduce the impact on ecosystems, while still achieving 80 percent of the maximum s ustainable yield," Dr Smith said.
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September/October 2011 Professional Skipper 49
