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IWI TAKE ON JOINT FISHERY MANAGEMENT A new era in fisheries management started on September 22 when the government and iwi took over joint management of fish stocks in the lower Waikato River. The Waikato-Tainui Raupatu River Trust will manage non- commercial customary fishing between Karapiro and the river mouth, Port Waikato, including the tributaries, streams and watercourses that flow into that part of the river and the lakes, wetlands and banks of water along the way. "The trustees and appointed kaitiaki (customary fishing authorisers) will be able to issue customary fishing authorisations," said the director-general of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Wayne McNee. The trust can also recommend bylaws to the ministry that may restrict fishing on the lower river to ensure long-term sustainability of fish stocks or for cultural reasons. "Otherwise, commercial and recreational fishing can continue undisturbed on the Waikato River," McNee said. The key fishery is freshwater eels. Mullet and flatfish are among the most common commercial catches in Port Waikato. The river mouth is also a popular recreational fishing spot. HOKI CATCH LIMIT INCREASED The total allowable catch (TAC) for hoki increased by 10,000 tonnes to 130,000 tonnes from October 1 within the quota management system under a series of changes announced by Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley. The hoki fishery had now fully recovered following declines in the late 1990s, he said. "We were prepared to make the tough calls in terms of reductions to catch limits but are now reaping the benefits. "The fishery can support an even greater catch increase, but it is important we act responsibly, so I have agreed to a more modest increase." The western and eastern hoki stocks will be surveyed later this year and the results considered in a further stock assessment in 2012. A range of other fisheries, including orange roughy, black cardinal fish, scampi, blue cod, bluenose, kingfish, ribaldo, rig and Pacific bluefin tuna were also reviewed and changes made to commercial catch limits and recreational allowances. The fishing company Sanford had opposed the hike in the hoki catch, saying it was "too much, too fast" and the TAC should remain at 120,000 tonnes until it was again plentiful enough to sustain a higher limit. In a press statement released on August 24, Sanford asked the minister to take a precautionary approach, "until there is an opportunity for further scientific data and information to be collected and analysed." The company said it circulated a report it had commissioned by the chief scientist of the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council, Dr Kevin Stokes, to others active in the hoki fishery. "Many of these stakeholders then became supportive of the idea of maintaining the status quo," Sanford said. The increases should be held back until after the survey results were released. "An incremental climb is preferential for managing both capital decisions and regaining the public's confidence in hoki management." Heatley also reduced the catch limits for two orange roughy stocks at the Chatham Rise and on the eastern coast of the North Island, as they were not all at optimal levels, although the fisheries were being managed for long-term sustainability. The total allowable commercial catch, or TACC, for bluenose has been reduced as the beginning of a three-year staged reduction to ensure fish stocks rebuild and give commercial fishers time to adjust their fishing operations. "In recent years a significant recreational fishery has developed off the western coast of the South Island for Pacific bluefin tuna. The TAC for this stock has been increased to accommodate an increased allowance for recreational fishing in order to reflect this development." Other management controls announced include: • changing recreational bag limits for all bluenose stocks and some blue cod stocks • adjusting the penalties for fishing above TACC limits (deemed values) for several species caught commercially, and • administrative changes to seabird mitigation rules that apply to commercial surface longline fishing. See www.fish.govt.nz Hoki November/December 2011 Professional Skipper 63 VIP.S70 S707