Proposed recreational fishing regulations for Paua and crayfish

Pāua 3 and 7 fisheries (PAU 3 and PAU 7) review of daily bag limit and accumulation limit for recreational fishers.

 

Have your say

Fisheries New Zealand is reviewing the recreational daily bag limits and accumulation limits in the PAU 3 (Kaikōura and Canterbury) and PAU 7 (top of the South Island) fisheries. 

Reductions are proposed for daily bag limits and accumulation limits. The proposals aim to ensure the fisheries remain sustainable after impacts on the populations caused by the 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes.

We want your feedback on the proposals, which are detailed in the consultation document. The consultation runs from 22 August to 3 October 2018. 

What’s being proposed?

Existing limits for both fisheries are:

  • a daily bag limit of 10
  • an accumulation limit of 20 or 2.5kg (if the pāua are in a state that is unable to be counted).

It’s proposed to reduce these limits. Two options are under consideration. 

Option 1 Daily Bag Limit 5,  Accumulation Limit 10 or 1.25kg

Option 2 Daily Bag Limit 3,  Accumulation Limit 6 or 0.75kg

Consultation Document available from www.mpi.govt.nz

Making your submission

Email your feedback on the proposed changes by 5pm on 3 October 2018 to mailto:FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz?subject=Review%20of%20paua%20daily%20bag%20limit%20and%20accumulation%20limit

While email is preferred, you can post your submission to:

Inshore Fisheries Management
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Make sure you include in your submission:

  • the title of the consultation document in the subject line
  • your name and title, if applicable
  • your organisation’s name (if you’re submitting on behalf of an organisation or a company).

Review of recreational management measures for the CRA 5 (Canterbury/Marlborough) rock lobster fishery

Consultation Document available from www.mpi.govt.nz

Summary of Proposal

It is proposed to introduce these measures for rock lobster in the CRA 5 Quota Management Area:

  • Telson clipping – recreational fishers are required to clip the last third of the middle part of the tail fan (the “telson”) of every legal sized rock lobster that will be kept. This marks a lobster as being recreationally caught, and so is not permitted to be bought, bartered, or traded.
  • An accumulation limit – the number of rock lobsters that a recreational fisher can accumulate is limited to 3 daily bag limits (18 lobsters), provided that the catch for any one day does not exceed the current daily limit of 6 rock lobsters per person.
  • Bag and labelling conditions for a single day’s catch to support the accumulation limit.

The aim is to discourage illegal activity

The proposed measures are expected to discourage illegal black market sales of rock lobsters that are destined for the domestic market. Rock lobsters are valuable barter goods and illegally caught lobsters are often sold at a lower price than through legitimate channels, which can encourage local buyers to look for illegal product.

Telson clipping is intended to stop: 

  • the illegal sale of rock lobsters by opportunistic non-commercial fishers who sell or barter their catch for financial gain
  • covert poachers who conceal their activity under legitimate non-commercial fishing.

An accumulation limit is expected to limit the ability to store and transport large quantities of rock lobster where people deliberately exceed the daily bag limit or where the bag limit is consistently taken for potential sale or barter.

 

Email your feedback by 5pm on 3 October 2018 to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

Or use the submission template. It will help you give feedback.

While email is preferred, you can post your submission to:

Inshore Fisheries Management
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.