CAMBRIDGE NEWS | 1
FRIDAY JULY 6, 2018
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JULY 6, 2018
Limit drop may cripple eel industry By Sophie Iremonger
Fisheries New Zealand launched a public consultation last month on catch limits for longfin freshwater eels in the North Island – proposing the option of sticking with the status quo, or reducing the limit by 15 percent, and by 32 percent for commercial catch. It all sounds well and good, but some eel fishermen believe lowering the limit could have serious ramifications for the industry, and that there’s nothing wrong with stock numbers. Fishery New Zealand (FNZ) has reported that “some longfin eel stocks, while stable, may not
be showing a clear increase in abundance,” said Inshore Fisheries Manager Steve Halley, adding that the current review is based on a 2017 scientific assessment of North Island eels by NIWA. FNZ also monitors the North Island eel fishery by reviewing the yearly recruitment of elvers at hydro dams throughout New Zealand, and by the CPUE (catch per unit effort) of each commercially fished area. Before opening the doors to public feedback, a preliminary consultation was held with tangata whenua and a number of relevant organisations, including the Eel Enhancement Company (EEC). “We’ve said we want the status
Eel numbers transferred at Karapiro continue to show healthy numbers. Photo – Michael Jeans.
quo, we just want it to stay where it is, we certainly don’t want it cut, or increased,” explained Mike Holmes, Chairman of the EEC, a commercial eel fisherman and a Cambridge local. “We don’t have a stock problem, which would normally be why you would reduce the limit… we’re the first to ask for quota cuts if we need them.” In charge of the elver eel transfer at Karapiro dam, Mike confirmed that juvenile eel recruitment is better than ever, continuing its gradual increase in numbers. NIWA has been recording recruitment numbers at Karapiro and other locations around New Zealand for almost three decades, and there is clearly an improving trend in recruitment for both species. Mike explained that there are vast areas around the North Island where eel fishing is not allowed or not practiced, nor are there elver transfers, meaning those populations aren’t recorded. In the places where commercial eel fishing does take place, shortfin and longfin eels are often mixed together in the same habitats, meaning fishermen must release a large portion of their catch to comply with longfin eel limits. “Most of the local rivers have about a 50/50 mix of shortfin and longfin. If you can’t take long Continued page 7
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After their birth at sea, young eels travel up the Waikato River to the Karapiro dam, where Mike Holmes (pictured) transfers them upstream past the dam. Photo – Michael Jeans.
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