Media release from Otago Fish & Game

Fish & Game face busy year

Councillors continued to show faith in its chairman when Monty Wright was re-elected unopposed for another term by the Otago Fish and Game Council. Mr Wright thanked fellow councillors for their ongoing support. Dan Rae, Adrian McIntyre, Dave Witherow, Dr John Jillett and Vicky Whyte were re-elected to the Executive Committee which also includes Mr Wright.

Mr Wright said that the year ahead would be a busy one with a major focus on minimum and residual river flow issues across Otago, increasing demand for irrigation water, and the transition from mining privileges to RMA consents as the legal basis for water allocation for out of stream uses. Mining privileges which were originally granted during Otago's gold rush without consideration for river flow requirements for fisheries or amenity values all lapse in 2021. Otago Regional Council has a programme of water plan changes for rivers including the Lindis, Cardrona and Manuherikia to establish minimum flows. Mr Wright said it was vitally important that communities got involved in public processes for the setting of minimum river flows as many rivers were presently over allocated and river values and public enjoyment of them suffered as a result.

ENDS

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