Recreational Snapper Cut Not Fair

The reduction in the recreational snapper bag limits by the Government is discriminatory and unjust says the Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ (CORANZ).

The Government has cut the bag limit in the Snapper 1 fishery, which extends between North Cape and Cape Runaway, from nine fish to seven and raised the minimum size of fish to 30 centimetres, up from 27 centimetres.

Andi Cockroft CORANZ co-chairman said the government had cut recreational bag limits by approximately 20 percent yet left the commercial catch quota untouched.

"That is unjust and arguably discrimination against the recreational fishing public," he said. "That the change took place on April Fool’s Day seems significant and insulting to the one million strong recreational public."

Mr Cockroft said any damage to the fishery was caused by bulk catching methods of commercial fishing and not the "rod and reel" recreational anglers.

The Fisheries Act called on the government to manage the fishery for "social, cultural and economic" reasons and to share any measures responsibly between sectors.

"CORANZ has no argument with reductions if justified but it does have when the Minister favours one sector - in this case commercial - above the recreational public," he said. “Everyone recognises the need for a wise use of the resource and to sustainably fish but to discriminate against the Kiwi fishing public by leaving the multi-tonnage commercial catch as it is, is unfair."

The recreational public should not be the sacrificial lamb while company corporates are the cause of any pressure on the snapper stocks said Mr Cockroft.

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