19th February 2014

Freshwater Anglers find DOC’s 1080 response ‘disingenuous’

"The comments made by Kevin O'Connor, DOC Deputy Director General, in response to the Federation's call for robust research on the risks of secondary poisoning of trout by mice which have ingested 1080, are disingenuous," says David Haynes, President of the New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers.

There is no peer-reviewed, robust research that is publicly available on this subject area, Haynes re-iterated. "I think Kevin has confused research on eels and the effects of 1080 dissolved in the water column with trout eating poisoned mice. As a Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a former research scientist and, more importantly, being blessed with a modicum of common sense I can tell you they are not the same."

Haynes acknowledged the Royal Society of NZ 2005 research undertaken for Ngai Tahu on the effects of eels eating poisoned possum flesh which, whilst showing relatively marginal effects within a laboratory environment, nevertheless concluded that eels from the study had over twelve times the permissible limit of 1080 residues as specified by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority.

Mr. Haynes is engaged in ongoing talks with Lou Sanson, Director General of DoC, to discuss funding and resources for research into this area.

David Haynes
President
New Zealand Federation of Freshwater Anglers
www.nzffa.net
www.facebook.com/NZFFA

ENDS

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