Hooked Up - Issue 6

HOOKED up ISSUE 6 2016

The Season That Never Ended

www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

New Zealand Sport Fishing Council is the one of the longest serving incorporated organisations representing recreational anglers.

The NZSFC was formed around the IGFA fishing rules and ethics so that a consistent standard could be set when comparing catches.

The NZSFC offers additional records classes for New Zealand records beyond what IGFA offer for juniors and small-fry anglers. We have refined some of the IGFA rules to make them more suitable for our contests.

Our New Zealand based IGFA representatives keep a close liaison between IGFA and NZSFC and have regular input into issues that could affect New Zealand anglers. We have promoted valuable marine research that is internationally respected. This includes the game fish tagging programs for marlin, sharks, tuna and kingfish which now has a history of 17 years of information.

The Council created and continues to support the NZ Marine Research Foundation (NZMRF) for the primary purpose of conducting research on fish species benefiting our membership that could not, or will not be financed by government agencies.

Information from research carried out by the NZMRF has been very valuable when justifying our position in species management. All they have to do is remind themselves, that the majority of what the NZSFC does is for the benefit of individual members rather than equal benefits for each club.

More fish in the sea, better access, water quality, individual legal protection, record recognition, research, advocacy, fishing data collection and dissemination are all individual benefits of belonging to the NZSFC.

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CONTENTS Editorial................................................................4 Executive Profile: Wazza ....................................................6 Executive Officer Quarterly Report...................................8 Weighmaster Roundup ........................................................12 Tuna Grand Slam.............................................................16 Club Profile: New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club .............................................................20 Reader Story: My BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) for the 2016 Season ...............................................24 Reader Story: First Tagged Striped Marlin of the Season Back to Back to Back!......................28 The Bay of Islands Swordfish Club–MediNova: International Yellowtail Tournament.............................30 Fisheries Research ...........................................................32

EDITOR / Dave Lockwood GROUP EDITOR / Colin Kennedy ART DIRECTOR / Jodi Olsson CONTENT ENQUIRIES / Phone Dave on 021 177 1705 or email secretary@nzsportfishing.org.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES / Phone Jennifer Liew on 0274 398 100 or email jenniferl@espiremedia.com WEBSITE / www.NZsportfishing.co.nz

This is a GREEN MAG, created and distributed without the use of paper so it's environmentally friendly. Please think before you print. Thank you!

Hiwi the Kiwi Update ........................................................35 RICHARD LIEW Managing Director

021 123 456

Fisheries Management Update.......................................36 www.espiremedia.com richardl@espiremedia.com

Legasea Update ................................................................40 Why Do We Need Recreational Value Projects?...........42

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his year’s AGM will feature a mini trade show format with our valued sponsors and partners attending. A good opportunity to meet the people who support our clubs and Council.

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As Hooked Up 6 deadline arrives the Board and Executive Officer are finalising accounts and working on budgets and plans for the 2016/17.

We have had a terrific year for fishing with record numbers of gamefish being caught with a growing proportion being tagged and released.

We really are walking the talk of conserving and sharing the catch for future generations.

Well done anglers for your mature and far sighted approach.

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EDITORIAL

The Board and I are pleased to be receiving such well-informed advice from our Fisheries Management, Marine Protection team on a wide ranging set of topics being debated right now including: 1. The review of fisheries management systems nationwide,

2. The new Marine protected Areas and Recreational fishing Park Bill expected to be released shortly

We really are walking the talk of conserving and sharing the catch for 3. The High Court case being prosecuted future generations. Well done anglers for by commercial fishing interests your mature and far sighted approach. opposed to the Kermadec Ocean Our long serving Records Officer, Pete Sanctuary being proposed by Saul and our IGFA representative Mark Government which could have serious Hemmingway are in Florida participating implications on our fishing interests in the IGFA Rules Summit (July 12th) They will be working on modernising the 4. The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park spatial planning process rules for both fishing and the tackle we use. Braid will of course be a hot topic 5. The annual round of fisheries for the deliberations. management reviews 4 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

I want to acknowledge my predecessors for their commitment to this investment over so many years. Our team are experienced, knowledgeable and professional and have the confidence and appreciation of the Board and delegates.

For the third year in a row Kyle Ridling has landed the first marlin of the season.

An outstanding angling achievement from a young man who releases most of his fish as he did for this one. He sure puts in the effort when it counts!

Thank you to the Communications Subcommittee who have put so much effort into developing the Hooked Up e-zine. Please make the effort to share this widely. Hooked Up showcases how worthwhile and relevant our fishing clubs are. Places where we can gather, share, learn and laugh – doesn’t get better than that.

All the best

Phil Appleyard President New Zealand Sport Fishing Council Inc Mobile: 027 273 0500 www.nzsportfishing.co.nz www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 5

EXECUTIVE PROFILE

Wazza

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started fishing out of Russell back in the sixties and from there, continued my Game Fishing out of Tauranga right through the seventies. Then with the advent of the eighties, I purchased the 36ft Amarillo and have fished out of Whitianga since as my home port.

I have had plenty of success catching and tagging Marlin over the years, and my current tally stands at 62. One of the more notable catches was a Blue of 265kg – a club record for a number of years.

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In 1987, I started fishing for yellowfin tuna commercially and enjoyed a good run through the nineties until the tuna quota was introduced.

Targeting Marlin began when I built a new launch to survey in 1994, also called Amarillo. We used her for tuna and charter work, and that took us all over the north from Whakatane to the Three Kings. We caught many tuna, kingie’s and marlin until we sold her in 2007.

Being appointed to the Board of the NZSFC made me see the need to professionalise the weigh masters position in our club, and I have run many courses around the country since to help out other clubs that ask for assistance – I totally enjoy doing this!

In 2008, I purchased my present boat ‘Wazzup’, an 8.5m Tournament. I have had plenty of success catching and tagging Marlin over the years, and my current tally stands at 62. One of the more notable catches was a Blue of 265kg – a club record for a number of years. ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 7

FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Executive Officer Quarterly Report

June 2016

By Dave Lockwood, Executive Officer, New Zealand Sport Fishing Council

now have one year under my belt as the Executive Officer. This has provided me with valuable insight into the operation of the Council and its history. The one thing that strikes me more than anything else is the passion for the sport of fishing and the fight to protect recreational and sport fishing in this Country.

My first year was very much about getting an understanding of the operations of the Council and what ‘made it tick’. Moving forward, I am keen to see where we can make improvements that will add value to our Clubs and benefit them in future years.

My very first Fishing Tournament was the Nationals, which was pretty daunting considering the number of I have been involved in many competitors, and the size and scope sports, both in paid and volunteer of the event. After the competition, positions. No other sport or recreation I asked for feedback through the that I have come across has the Zone Meetings and Anglers who same commitment and passion fished the tournament. There was some really positive feedback, and to their own past time as Sport some excellent advice on how we Fishing does, and that includes can improve the event, including: Rugby – our National Sport!

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• Providing anglers with the ability to register online • Speeding up the results with Clubs uploading results into the Nationals Software • Engaging more of our members to fish the Nationals through a more comprehensive Nationals Communications Plan.

did, however, show an increase in membership during this period. Most of the membership decline for that time was attributed to the Hawkes Bay SFC resigning from the Council. Over a 10-year period, our membership has remained relatively static.

During the last ten years, we have had 12 Clubs resign from the Council and ten new Clubs join. The high turnover • Promoting the Nationals to of Clubs is a concern, which the overseas anglers through their National Sport Fishing Associations Council will need to address through membership growth strategies.

• Better use of digital platforms to Hawkes Bay SFC has rejoined the speed up the recording of fish.

Council, which is great news. At their Anyone wishing to provide previous Committee meeting in May, further feedback on the Nationals, their membership voted to rejoin the please do so to my email, Council, and their application to rejoin secretary@nzsportfishing.org.nz was accepted by the Council Board.

Their application to rejoin the Council was subject to an agreed repayment Overall, our membership has slightly declined from 2015 to 2016 dropping plan of outstanding Affiliation Fees, and they have already initiated from 33,131 in 2015 to 32,309 in 2016. 19 of our member Clubs the repayment with a deposit.

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More good news – we welcome the Marlborough Rec Fishers Association to the Council as a new member club.

Their membership was accepted at the July Board meeting, and it is great to have some representation in the upper South Island, where we have previously had none. This takes our club total in the South Island to six member clubs.

The Council finances are in a sound position. At the beginning of the financial year, we changed our accounting software package to Xero. This ‘cloud’ based accounting system has been easy to utilise, and I would encourage all clubs to use the software if possible.

We have submitted year-end draft accounts to the auditor and at this stage, we are looking at a small net profit for the 2015/16 Financial Year. Thanks must go to Finance Chairman, Peter Campbell and Steve Sangster from LegaSea who have helped immensely with the finances over the last year Sponsorship and funding has not been a huge success, but there have been some positive outcomes, including: • Simrad verbally recommitting to Nationals for 2017.

• An offer from ITM to also partner in the Nationals and support LegaSea. Credit needs to go to LegaSea’s Simon Yates for pulling this fantastic deal together.

• $14K of funding from Maritime NZ to deliver the Hiwi the Kiwi Goes 10 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Fishing Show to 10 South Auckland Decile One Primary Schools.

• An Expression of Interest to Water Safety NZ to fund digital upgrades for Hiwi the Kiwi Resources was accepted. Final funding has yet to be confirmed.

• An application is being drafted to Sport NZ seeking eligibility status for Sport NZ investment as a National Recreation Organisation. Should we qualify as an eligible National Sport/ Recreation Organisation, we will have the option of applying for funding to the National Body for Sport.

In the next year, we are planning a complete digital makeover, which includes the development of a new website. Our Communications SubCommittee have spent countless hours in evening phone meetings, planning and plotting the role out of a new comms plan and website. Thank you must go to Vice President, Bob Gutsell, for driving this piece of Council work.

On 16 and 17 September, Whangamata Ocean Sports Club will be hosting the 59th Council AGM. The host club have put many hours into planning for this event, and I would encourage all clubs to send their delegates. I couldn’t think of a better place to spend a long weekend! Many thanks to Sandra Perry, Kevin Lynch and their team of helpers for hosting our most important Annual event. We look forward to seeing you all there. ◆

WE CANNOT EXIST WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT

PROMOTING F IS H IN G R E S E A R C H FOR FU T U R E A N G L IN G . www.nzsportfishing.co.nz â—† 11

WEIGHMASTER ROUNDUP

Well the New 2016-2017 Season is Well Under Way

By Paul Batten

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Mikhail Cowan

Rob Dinsdale Trophy

he first Striped Marlin again has been tagged and released well out from Tutukaka off the north end of the Poor Knights Islands. One could speculate, if not close to the Kumara patch, not too far from it amongst Skipjack that were being used as live bait.

This one could have been the second of the season, as the angler lost one the day before. For the record, Kyle Ridling’s tagged and released Striped Marlin was caught on Sunday, 3rd July, making this his third consecutive first Marlin of the season.

The first Broadbill Swordfish has already been caught with at least three that the writer is aware of: 1. 3 July: Hayden Elmsly with his Broady weighing in at 203.2 off the vessel ‘Salt Shaker’ 2. 6 July: Andrew Hope fishing out from Whakatane caught their first Broady for the season weighing 84.2kg from vessel ‘High Hopes’ 3. Thirdly, still in the first week of July, Matt Haliday fishing on the vessel ‘Omega 3’ with this one weighing in at 209.3kg.

So the new season has started with a hiss and a roar!

Let us reflect a little on the season just passed; provisional records show the heaviest Broadbill last season was caught 29 April 2016 by Phil Mathews weighing in at 274.5kg, out from Gisborne.

The annual NZSFC awards will be ratified at our next board meeting and are to be held on 16 July 2016.

There are many fine trophies on the line for the winning: Rob Dinsdale Trophy is for the first Marlin, either weighed or tagged, for the season, won this year by Kyle Ridling T/R on 1 July 2015. Kyle also wins the first Marlin of the season tagged. www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 13

WEIGHMASTER ROUNDUP

Lord Norrie Gold Cup

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The first Marlin of the season to be weighed was caught on 26 December 2015 by angler Dez Meinhold weighing in at 142.4kg out west of the Manukau.

The first Marlin of the season to be weighed was caught on 26 December 2015 by angler Dez Meinhold weighing in at 142.4kg out west of the Manukau.

The ‘Lord Norrie Gold Cup’, first presented in 1956/57, Lord Norrie fished at the Bay of Islands and Mayor Island with some success and then presented a magnificent gold cup – an exact replica of the Ascot Gold Cup – for annual competition between the New Zealand Clubs.

The unanimous decision was that the cup should be awarded to the fisherman catching the ‘Heaviest Striped Marlin’ caught each season.

The inaugural winners were C Wilson and J Frew, both from the Tauranga club, with a Striped Marlin weighing 177.35kg, a tie.

This year’s winner looks to be the Striped Marlin caught out from Whangaroa Sport Fishing Club by angler Mikhail Cowan on 27 March 2016. Coincidently, Whangaroa has won this trophy in;

At the time there were five active game fishing clubs in existence. These were Whangaroa, Bay of Islands, Whangarei, • 1965/66, W Boyd 199.58kg • 1966/67, G Palour 184.61kg Mercury Bay and Tauranga.

To decide how the trophy should be awarded, representatives of the five clubs met on 25 March 1957 in Auckland under the Chairmanship of Geoff Chitty, then President of the Tauranga Club.

• 1971/72, E Cox 178.71kg • 1995/96, R Sheard 180.40kg • 2000/01, S Wilkinson 165.80kg • 2009/10, J Gigger 204.50kg • 2012/13, L Robertson 186.70kg. ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 15

TUNA GRAND SLAM

Tuna Grand Slam Success The 26 year journey

By Wayne Bicknell & Scott Cushman

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here are only two people in New Zealand who have managed to claim the Tuna Grand Slam – a recognised IGFA award for five species of Tuna considered to be of ‘trophy weight’. Wayne Bicknell is one of those lucky anglers.

the way of fish, but some chatter on the radio revealed Bigeye Tuna being encountered south of their position down near the Dogleg.

of pulling in juvenile kingfish so the next time the rod buckled over Wayne grabbed the 10kg stick. Murphy must have been chuckling as the heavy fish that materialised was a solid 18kg Albacore, the family’s first club record.

Several hours following being hooked on a 24kg line, Wayne’s fish also came aboard. In almost Hollywood style script, the 300hp MerCruiser got them back to the weigh in with minutes to spare and Wayne’s barrel of a fish wrenched the scales down to 60.45kg.

After a team huddle and a 30km, 30 minute trip, they were deploying the gear in much fishier waters. It was fortunate they only had half the December 1990 gear out because a squad of Bigeye Tuna started dishing out watery hell, Wayne was out fishing on board his smashing everything they had dropped first powerboat, Krista - a classic ply over frame Hartly, with his brother Pete over the side. and his father, John Bicknell. Having When the foam had died down, and had some good fishing in 30 metres of they took stock of the situation, Dave water north of Napier - you can tell it and Wayne were the only two left was a long time ago because they were standing with Dave’s fish wanting catching a lot of fish in the Hawkes to stay uncharacteristically near the Bay, they decided to troll home. surface. Dave’s Tuna was boated first, John was at the wheel and getting sick later to weigh a respectable 40kg.

15 years later in the Gisborne Tuna comp, Wayne was fishing aboard ‘Maggie May’ a 24ft Sportsman, named in honour of the late Viv Bicknell – a Rod Stewart fan.

The four-man crew included brother Dave, mate Pat Tyman and the late Pete Laurent. Glassy conditions east of Gisborne weren’t yielding much in

Wayne’s biggest Tuna was going to hit the deck two years later off the wild West Coast. Good friend Brian Firman and his brother Dave had set up camp at the local Grey Mouth Motor Camp with various crew lined up to take advantage of any favourable weather patterns which didn’t materialise. www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 17

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Although Wayne is the glorious recipient of a welldeserved accolade, he acknowledges that it’s not really an award belonging to one man. The various crew members, weighmasters and volunteers all deserve acknowledgement as well as Viv, who shared the journey on the way to claiming the Tuna Grand Slam

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Wayne grabbed the leader, it could have been attached to mother earth with the amount of resistance

Back home one Saturday night Wayne was in the fishing club with Viv and found Brian hurriedly organising a trip with a West Coast charter operator.

Wayne felt pulling on the other end of the leader. 254kg of Bluefin tuna was boated after a long short fight – Steve thought it was long, and Wayne thought it was short. If you are having your arms pulled out, I would imagine it would seem a long time.

10pm late the next evening, the fourman crew had bolted down the island and were heading out into a cool West Coast night. The Hoki boats came into view on daybreak, and they set about figuring out how to hook a Blue Fin. Steve Danks was in first, and when

The next couple of fish were claimed by the trawling gear before it was Wayne’s turn in the chair. The bait was pitched, engulfed by something huge, and Wayne spent the next hour and a half with his posterior levitating above the seat.

Aborting their plan, but not their mission, they returned to Napier.

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Triumph almost turned to tragedy at one stage in a split second when his foot slipped off the chair, and Wayne was propelled after his ‘prey’.

Fortunately, this monster stuck and with a lot of effort was pulled into the boat. In Wayne’s words ‘it was the hardest thing I have ever done’ and no wonder since it became the new world record at 302.5kg. Wayne enjoyed 48 years of glory before a heavier fish broke it just two days later.

Three down and only two species left to complete the slam. With the decline of Yellowfin Tuna, one would have thought a Skipjack would have been next to fall. However, the Skipjack was going to be the hardest to catch.

In 2008 Wayne was trolling during the nationals out of Gisborne on ‘Wahoo’, a 10m O’Brien boat. A late arrival at Tolaga Reef was quickly followed by a strike on the port rigger. It was Wayne’s lucky day (again!), and he managed to play and land a beautiful specimen of a Yellowfin.

there were frequent remarks about checking Wayne’s rear end for mineral deposits starting with ‘T’.

Back on the scales at Gizzy, the fish went 66.7kg on 15kg, another excellent catch which also claimed the Carroll Atwood Trophy as well. Surely the 5kg Skippy on 4kg line would be an easy feat following the earlier captures, right? …Wrong.

How many years of trolling would it take to land that Skippy? Each year passed and so did the frustration of being so close to the slam. The fish finally showed itself during the nationals while fishing out of Napier, eight years later. A nervous fight ensued with Wayne not wanting to draw out the wait any longer and a 5.34kg fish putting the final nail in the Tuna slam coffin. Ironically, Olly Wade landed another Skippy that would qualify for the slam the following day.

Although Wayne is the glorious recipient of a well-deserved accolade, he acknowledges that it’s not A 20-mile slog back in a worsening sea really an award belonging to one didn’t take the shine off the event, nor man. The various crew members, weighmasters and volunteers all did a number of rums later that night deserve acknowledgement as well as with brother Dave, son Joe, nephew Viv, who shared the journey on the way Mickey and mate Dean Dickie. Along to claiming the Tuna grand slam. ◆ with some of his other tuna captures, www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 19

CLUB PROFILE

New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club Welcome to the New Plymouth Sportfishing and Underwater Club

By Ian Steele

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ur club is oriented towards boatingbased diving and fishing. In addition to our existing membership, we welcome visitors, new members and new sponsors.

Our origins date back to 1954 (New Plymouth Underwater Club) and 1967 (Taranaki Cruising and Sportfishing Club). The current club is the result of those clubs amalgamating in 1995.

Situated in Port Taranaki, we are lucky enough to own our own club rooms next to the all-weather Port Taranaki public ramp. The clubrooms have been extended a few times over the decades and now have a 900 m2 footprint.

This means that, in addition to a great facility for our members, we have a large function centre that is available for hire, complete with restaurant and bar.

Our restaurant is leased to a catering company, which operates as ‘The Black Harpoon’ – an extension of their successful restaurant ‘The Black Harp’

situated in the New Plymouth CBD. In terms of facilities for boaties, we have a large car park, boat wash and sheltered launching. Visiting launches can hire moorings.

Club membership has grown continuously and is now just over 1,500 – an increase of 50% since 2013.

Coincidently we recorded nearly 400 marlin caught in the 2015/16 season.

As the total membership has increased, we have noticed an increase in families and children – something that is encouraged as the new generation comes through and enjoys the Taranaki coastline.

Like many dive clubs around New Zealand, over the decades we have experienced the transition from hardcore elite divers to ‘weekend warrior’ recreational divers as the club transitioned from the training of divers to an underwater sport and recreational activity. www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 21

During the game season, Striped Marlin are prevalent, as are Makos, Albacore, Skipjack and Mahi Mahi. We have noticed a significant increase in Kahawai and Kingfish numbers in recent years.

a weekend fishing expedition, and we are noticing an increased focus during summer of line class sportfishing.

We enjoy a mix of recreational and sport fisherman within the club – many enjoy

been caught, although to date, not to IGFA rules.

Snapper fishing in spring is always a highlight, with a plentiful supply of fat specimens. Our sea bottom is a mix Typically, the west coast fishery is protected by nature’s weather meaning of foul, sand and mud – with a large ‘shallow’ bay toward Mokau in the that, when you can get out, you get north and an exposed steeper/deeper a full range of bottom fish including coastline in the south.

Gurnard, Snapper, Terakihi, Blue Cod, Kahawai, Crayfish, Hapuka, If you are keen enough to venture Kingfish, Trevally and John Dory. ‘out wide’ to the Southern and Mokau The fishing depth range is between Trenches (50 to 60 nm from Port), five and 120 metres, although you can be rewarded with deep water 30 metres feels shallow and 50 fish such as Groper, Hapuka and the to 70 metres depth is typical. occasional Bluenose. Swordfish have

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One of our key successes is the development of flexible sponsorship opportunities and the continued support of those loyal sponsors...We feel that the club is in great health and that continued improvement and growth of both the facilities, activities and membership is the key.

The boating fleet is mainly made up of trailerable boats, and we have experienced a notable increase in the average boat size over the past decade – from a historical average 5-metre length through to today’s 6.5 to 7-metre length. There are also some larger club member vessels on moorings and many 8 to 11-metre trailerable boats.

One of our key successes is the development of flexible sponsorship opportunities and the continued support of those loyal sponsors. We work with each sponsor to develop a targeted area

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Boating off the Taranaki coast favours the brave and prepared – there are few places to hide if the weather turns, although overnighting when the weather allows always yields great results.

where their sponsorship is best used - a discussion between the club and the relevant sponsor. Like any club, we always welcome new sponsors and work hard to ensure that the relationship is mutually beneficial.

We feel that the club is in great health and that continued improvement and growth of both the facilities, activities and membership is the key. Our committee is a mix of young and (slightly) old(er) which ensures a combination of views and the inclusion of long-term and new members alike.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that our club, along with the fishery and the enjoyment of Taranaki’s coastline, is sustained by its membership for the benefit of our future generations. ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 23

READER STORY

My BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) for the 2016 Season

By Simon Browne

his year I had a goal, and it was a Big Hairy Audacious One: To get both my boys Josh (12) and Cameron (10) on their first Marlin.

Four trips and five fish later, it’s been a crazy year on board my vessel J.A.C, a Haines SS 700 with all fish falling to kids and not just my own.

however, I followed the success of Luke Davis of Yehaa fishing. He had a fantastic season with rates in the 60 to 70%. Always keen to learn, we had him present on a member’s night at the Whakatakataka Bay Sport Fishing Club based out of the Auckland Outboard Boating Club.

It was there he introduced me to the Bonze System – smaller lures, light I started game fishing around seven gauge hooks, riggers, a dredges and years ago and have been fortunate to how to run it all. I made the decision to snag one or more a year either on my go all. To add to this, I had been doing annual trip to the three Kings with Rick a bit of research on the value of SST Pollack on Pursuit or on board my own Data, after some research I selected Haines SS 700. My average hookup Ocean Map SST’s (Sea Surface rate on J.A.C has been approximately Temperatures) to provide me with daily 30 to 40% over those years. Last year, data feeds.

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Trip 1 – Matauri Bay (Jan 9th)

I took the pressure off the leader to grab the bill with both hands. Hooks fell out and of course the fish, sensing the pressure change, turned out of reach and all I could grab was its tail.

Water everywhere and getting shaken, I could not hold it for long and away it swam to much disappointment by all.

We camp with some families every year the Matauri Bay Holiday Park, my usual mate Matt Grace was not up until the following day so with a rookie crew; three kids and a good mate Grant; we headed out. A quiet morning saw us going down and inside the hook Gear back in, 30 mins later a tailer to a warm water pocket. swims past the boat, lights up and Then ‘boom!’, reel screaming we were screams into the gear. Boom, we hooked up, my son Cameron (10) hooked up again! This time, Joel on strike settled nicely into a steady Ramsey (12) was now on strike, his rhythm on stand up gear. 45 mins only fish caught before this a Tarakihi later the fish, an estimated 70KG on my boat the year before. Joel having Marlin, was at the back of the boat. just watched Cameron, settled into A last minute change in direction on things. 30 minutes later we had a the leader took me around the back lovely fish to the side of the boat, a of the boat to the other side. With the stronger hand on the leader saw me fish boat side it was here that I made pull it boat side and grab the bill to a rookie error - being only the second fish I have ever personally leadered, much ‘Yahooing…’

Cameron

Bring the boat out.

Joels Fish www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 25

Toby’s fish

with just my boys to see what we could find on our first ever Game My mate Matt was up, and the weather Fish mission out from Paunui. was not going to play ball all week, We headed out the back of the so we planned to head out for the Alderman’s with a plan to follow afternoon with his boys. We did not the warm current up to the hook of get on the water until the afternoon Mercury Bay. A morning, filled with with the lures going in around 3pm.

Dolphins, that saw us raise and hook a Around 5pm, heading into warm water, nice fish around 11am. we hooked up again. Toby (9) on strike One of the best moments of this trip had a bit of a battle – 15 minutes in, was right when we hooked up, Josh flashes of colour appeared out the was on double strike time (40 mins) back and we got our first look at a with Cameron only having 20 as he had beautiful 15kg Yellowfin. Moments already caught a fish on trip 1. With later it was gaffed and in the boat.

Cameron technically on strike, the fish was on the gear for 30 seconds before Trip 3 – Pauanui (28th Jan) biting the Bronze Undertaker. As soon Over winter we purchased a bach as we hooked up, Cameron turns to his in Pauanui. Having heard the brother and yells “You take it, you take fishing was going well, I set out it, I’ve had one!” Just awesome!

Trip 2 – Matauri Bay (Jan 11th)

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Josh’s fish

After 30 mins we had it close, and it was jumping near the boat. With it on the leader, the fish turned and took off again, another 20 mins later it was at the boat, leadering in well. I had its bill in my hand, and Josh had his first marlin.

Trip 4 – Pauanui (Easter) I had my boys, a mate and his son that had never been game fishing.

There was a bit of a swell on the Tairua Bar; we snuck out, but it was bigger than expected (a boat flipped later that morning).

Using the ocean Mapp SST data, I had decided to stick out the back of the

Alderman’s around the 250-300 mark.

I received a morning update on my phone showing the hot pocket had split into three. The first area was quiet, the second was fishy, just as we were turning we raised a fish – he swam through the wash of the engine, and we did not see him again.

The third area, was even more fishy – flying fish and more. A short time later we had a fish up chasing hard for a good 20 to 30 seconds and BOOM, hooked up again. With Josh on strike, chasing harder on the fish, this time, 25 mins later we had it at the side of the boat, his first tagged and released Marlin and second fish for the year.◆

Big Hairy Audacious goal ticked off. My boys have already told me I can have some time on strike next year ;-) Tight Lines and get your kids on them guys ;-) www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 27

READER STORY

First Tagged Striped Marlin of the Season Back to Back to Back!!

By Kyle Ridling

huge congratulations to Kyle Ridling, fishing on his boat ‘Yonkers’, for the third year in a row he has officially tagged the first Striped Marlin of the Season. On 6 December 2014, with skipper Dave Lefever, Kyle tagged and released a Striped Marlin estimated at 90kg off Cape Brett – the first for the 2014/2015 fishing season.

On 1 July 2015, with skipper Ross Chapman, Kyle tagged and released a 28 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Striped Marlin estimated at 100kg on the ‘Kumara Patch’, Poor Knights – the first for the 2015/2016 fishing season.

And now, on 3 July 2016 this time as both angler and skipper, Kyle tagged and released a Striped Marlin estimated at 115kg behind the Poor Knights – the first for the 2016/2017 fishing season. Well done Kyle, a great start to our Season here at Tutukaka!! Check out Kyle’s story below.

Kyle’s Story After tagging the first Marlin for the second year in a row last July, I had to try to do it again and make it three years in a row. I knew I would have a good chance again with the number of Marlin around this year and some of the highest water temps on record for this time of year.

With the weather forecast looking perfect for the first weekend of July, and the new calendar season, I checked the SST charts and the best-looking water was out behind the Poor Knights Islands, an area I’m very familiar with – everything was falling into place.

On Saturday I was out behind the Knights before sunrise and got set up to start trolling. It didn’t take long before I had my first Skipjack Tuna which I rigged and set out swimming off the outrigger.

to pick one up. I rigged it up and started towing it back to where I had my bite earlier. I towed it till just after 6pm, by which stage the sun had well and truly set and it was getting cold, so I pulled it in and headed home to fuel up for the next day.

Sunday morning same drill. I was out behind the Knights setting my gear while the sun was starting to rise. Once again I found Skippie’s and managed to catch one, rig it up and get it swimming. About an hour later it got eaten by a Shark which bit through the trace so it was back to trolling lures once again.

Just after lunchtime I had a double hook up on Skipjack Tuna and managed to land both. The first one I set long about 30 metres back and the second one I set very close to the boat to avoid them crossing over each other.

About 40 minutes later the close bait was ripped out of the outrigger and Just after midday I had my first bite but the Marlin that ate it was dancing unlucky for me no hook up and my live across the surface – I was hooked bait was gone. I did not see what had up! Quickly I pulled the other bait in. taken my bait, but when I wound my The Marlin had taken the line and line in, my brand new trace had clear gone deep so I played it cautiously signs of Marlin bill marks on it. Damn. and didn’t put too much drag on So I started trolling lures again hoping to pick up another bait, after four hours of working the area I saw Skippie’s jumping out of the water so I turned towards them and managed

the fish hoping it would come to the surface so I could chase it down – but it stayed deep! It took just under 40 minutes to get it boat side, tagged, remove the hook and released. ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 29

The Bay of Islands Swordfish Club –

MediNova

International Yellowtail Tournament

he Yellowtail tournament is the

2016 was an extra special event as we

Bay of Islands Swordfish Club’s

celebrated one of our Aussie anglers,

longest running tournament. A one base light tackle tournament

Terry ‘Titch’ Titchener’s 40th year of

fished in the depth of winter over six

but also being the driving force behind

days – four days dedicated to catching

getting the Aussie contingent to Russell

Kingfish and two lay days in case of

every year.

poor weather.

not only competing in the Tournament

A total of 88 anglers over 25 boats, including 31 from across the Tasman and 21 juniors from Whangarei, Whakatane, Russell School, Alma G Juniors and Tululah Juniors and, for the first time in a while, a Junior Team from Australia. Judging by the end result, we have no doubt that they will be back next year.

The radio reports from day one set the tone of the tournament – there were a lot of hook ups, a lot of little ones thrown back and quite a few broken off.

Anglers certainly couldn’t blame the weather, while it wasn’t as perfect as last year, it was still a good run of four days straight. A total of 168 fish were caught, measured, tagged, released and weighed over the tournament with almost every team seeing some action.

The tournament is well supported by sponsors and locals and is an event that brings the community alive in the depths of winter. Ten junior trophies are awarded with great prizes and

more than 30 other trophies, prizes and awards are given out on prize giving night.

Most Meritorious Catch by a Junior went to Chloe Hammersley from the Game Fishing Association of Australia, onboard Foreign Exchange with a Yellowtail weighing in at 20.95kg. This fish also took out the ‘Laurie Peel’ Trophy for heaviest Yellowtail on 6kg line on live bait.

The MediNova Trophy for winning Senior Team and Overall Team Most Points went to Rowan White, Brad Fergus and Craig Mulholland from BOISC onboard Diesel.

View all other trophies and prizes.

The 48th Bay of Islands Swordfish Club and MediNova International Yellowtail Tournament is scheduled for mid-June 2017. If you are not fishing in it, you are missing out on what real fishing in about.

Check out our website for this and other Bay of Islands Fishing Tournaments. ◆

Visit the website at https://swordfish.co.nz/tournaments-events/

www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 31

FISHERIES RESEARCH

Synthesis of New Zealand Gamefish Tagging Data, 1975 to 2014

Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi)

By John Holdsworth and Tom Boyle

he New Zealand Gamefish Tagging Programme (NZGTP) was introduced as a multi species gamefish tagging programme to study the seasonal and short-term movements of gamefish species of importance to New Zealand fisheries.

This project is funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and supported

by NZSFC, fishing clubs and hundreds of fishers who have tagged and released fish.

tagged in the programme, mostly by recreational fishers in New Zealand. 31% of all game fish tagged and released over this period were Kingfish.

There have been 2,166 tagged fish recaptured, comprising 20 and 69% of all recorded recaptures have been Kingfish. The Ministry for Primary Industries has recently published a report summarising results from 40 years of the New Zealand Gamefish To date, there have been 68,775 Billfish, Tagging Programme. The full report is Pelagic Sharks, Tuna and Kingfish available on the NZSFC website.

32 â—† www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Table 1: Kingfish tagging statistics mainly from the New Zealand exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

This article focusses on one of the mainstays of our sport fishery, Yellowtail Kingfish. Initially, the number of Kingfish tagged increased steadily, peaking in 1994/95 at 1,441 (Figure 1).

Tagging then sharply declined to just 310 during 1998/99. Subsequently, Kingfish tagging has been variable with an average of 904 fish tagged per year between 2004 and 2014. It has been embraced by some skippers who have a keen interest in conserving the stock and learning more about their movement and growth. The areas with the most releases are the Three Kings area, Bay of Islands, the Alderman’s, White Island area, Ranfurly Bank, Tolaga Bay and the Raglan area.

gut hooked survive catch and release well, and nearly 7% of tagged fish are recaptured (Table 1).

Some kingfish have been recaptured three or four times. The tags hold well in Kingfish, if placed quite high on the back – one fish at the Three Kings was recaptured over 14 years after being tagged. Three of our Kingfish have been recaptured in NSW Australia, and we have had three tagged Australian Kingfish recaptured here.

We would like fishers to measure and record Kingfish length on release and recapture (nose to tail fork on a measuring mat under the fish). This gives a better estimate for growth than Kingfish are tough fish, they fight hard all weight alone. Between 30% and 40% of Kingfish tagged or recaptured were the way to the surface, and swim away strongly on release. Fish that are not between 95 and 115cm (Figure 2).

Figure 1: Number of fish tagged and released in the NZGTP by year 1974–2014.

Yellowtail kingfish tag and release numbers are highlighted yellow. www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 33

Figure 2: Lengths of all kingfish tagged and all kingfish recaptured in the NZGTP.

Some Kingfish tagged are less than the current minimum legal size (MLS). This is because there was no MLS until 1993, when the 65cm size limit was introduced, increasing to 75cm in 2004. The great majority of small Kingfish tagged relate to the period before 2004, and some were tagged with smaller dart tags. The large gamefish tags used in the NZGTP are not suitable for Kingfish less than 75cm.

An estimate of the average annual growth of Kingfish was derived from the release and recapture measurements using the GROTAG model. Although there were some issues with probable measurement error, the model indicates that Kingfish are a fast growing species. A 50cm 34 â—† www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

fish was predicted to grow 11.5cm in a year while a 100cm fish would grow 4.1cm on average.

Most fishers are interested in fish movement information from tagging programmes. While Kingfish are capable of long distance travel, they also have shown long-term residence in areas of favourable habitat. From hundreds of recaptures of fish tagged in the White Island area on 3.5% have moved away.

Overall 94% percent of Kingfish recaptures were within 100 nautical miles of the release point. Plotting all Kingfish movement on a single map gets messy. Here we have plotted recapture locations of fish released in each fisheries statistical area.â—†

HIWI THE KIWI UPDATE

Hiwi the Kiwi

By Mark de Lacy aka ‘The Minstrel’

he Hiwi the Kiwi Goes Fishing show has now been thrilling Kiwi schools for seven full years with 1,036 schools (over 300,000 children) witnessing the programme. There’s absolutely no sign of the show’s popularity decreasing with several schools already booked for 2017.

that there are many such schools who

Chrissy and I have always felt bad

Auckland school this month. ◆

would love to have us visit but simply cannot afford it. We are now working on the idea of starting a charity where people and businesses can sponsor a low decile school allowing us to visit them with the resource at no charge.

Any ideas to help get this off the

ground would be appreciated.

The continued support from Kilwell The other addition to the show is the and Grant Dixon with Fishing News is hugely appreciated both by us and the introduction of a segment where we schools who take up the opportunity. teach kids how bad fishing practice and plastic rubbish is killing lots of Further good news is that Maritime our seabirds.

NZ has just announced a grant to Hiwi the Kiwi, which will allow us to take A new song ‘SOS Save our Seabirds’ the programme to 10 Decile 1 South is now part of the show and Forest Auckland schools (over 5,000 kids) at and Bird are paying to have the no charge. song filmed for their websites at an

www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 35

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT UPDATE

Fisheries Management Summary

By Peter Campbell

Gamefish Species In 2014/15 the number of fish tagged and released (2,280) was more than the previous year, but down from the long-term average. The tagging percentage for Striped Marlin last season was 56%, excluding the 233 Striped Marlin tagged by three boats at the Wanganella Banks. NZSFC catch records show a very high proportion of Mako (97%) and Blue Sharks (93%) caught by club members were tagged and released rather than landed.

A total of 32 recaptures were reported in the 2014/15 season, comprising 30 Yellowtail Kingfish, and one Striped Marlin tagged off Piha and recaptured at 36 â—† www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

the King Bank 27 days later.

There is high-tech research underway that will help build our understanding of the links between New Zealand Highly Migratory Species (HMS) and where they have come from in the Pacific. Volunteers at some NZSFC clubs have collected tissue samples this past season, and a summary of results will be distributed when this research is published.

John Holdsworth, Pete Saul, and others have completed a report summarising tagging data. Worth a read when you cannot get out fishing. Synthesis of New Zealand Gamefish Tagging Data, 1975 to 2014.

Hawkes Bay Discussions amongst LegaSea Hawkes Bay (LHB), the Ministry National Fisheries Plan and Area 2 Commercial Interests for HMS Species have stalled. LHB issued a public There was a recent fisheries plan meeting statement in mid-June expressing to discuss the Annual Review Report, their frustration that no meaningful which outlines progress on key focus changes have been implemented to areas over the past year. There has been improve recreational fishing in the a major change in the Southern Bluefin Bay. LHB’s media release generated Tuna fishery. Three large Japanese some interest from local media; a longliners that have fished under charter separate article has been published for a few months a year off the west coast in the local Bay Buzz magazine. of the South Island are not coming in future. This could mean an increase in Hauraki Gulf Spatial Plan the domestic Tuna longline fleet in New The Hauraki Gulf Spatial Planning Zealand year round. process is almost completed.

NZSFC suggested that developing Scott MacIndoe has been wading some performance indicators for through this process since January fisheries could be useful, such as and making good progress in trends in the fishery, number of boats, prioritising fisheries management hooks set by region, average catch issues. A panel of Ministers, and effort per vessel by method in the Primary Industries, Environment main species groups. MPI will finalise and Conservation, will consider the and circulate an Annual Operational plan before any decisions are made about the plan’s implementation.

Plan for the coming year. www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 37

Snapper 1 Strategy Group Report

Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary

A draft SNA1 Strategy report is due to be released by MPI, for consultation, by the end of the month. The NZSFC can expect an opportunity to provide feedback on the report. No further details are available.

John Key announced the Kermadec Ocean Sanctuary (KOS) in September 2015. The KOS Bill was introduced to Parliament in March this year, and Select Committee hearings were held in April. Te Ohu Kai Moana and commercial fishing interests filed papers in the High Court on 29 April challenging the Government’s decision to establish the Sanctuary and extinguish fishing rights in Area 10.

Fisheries Symposium The New Zealand Fisheries Symposium 2016 was held at the Snells Beach Retreat in early April. Six internationally renowned speakers contributed their expertise to the event which was attended by around 100 people.

Attendees included politicians, media personalities, mammal experts, marine reserve exponents, commercial and recreational fishers and freshwater fishing advocates. The outcome was a collective commitment to identify the existing management and policy gaps, and then communicate the need and benefits of restoring abundance and productivity to New Zealand’s waters.

38 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Our team has met with Legal Counsel, Rowan Ashton and Stuart Ryan, Barrister, to discuss this challenge to the Government’s sovereignty, and potential effects on non-commercial fishing interests. Dangerous precedents could be set that could require compensation for future changes in coastal marine space use, including conservation, local area management, or even TACC reductions. This would have grave implications for future advocacy, for NZSFC members and wider public interests.

On 22 June the NZSFC Board unanimously agreed to proceed with an application to the High Court to join the proceedings as an intervenor, given that the Crown has in the past not well represented our fishing interests. We are now considering whether to join as an intervenor or as a full party; those discussions are ongoing as we seek the best outcome for our members.

The Board will be fully informed before making any further commitments.

By prior agreement, all costs associated with involving Stuart and Ashton in these proceedings will be capped and paid for by grants or public donations and not from the Council’s Fisheries Management budget.

In the unlikely event that costs are awarded against the NZSFC by the Court, these will also be covered by public donations, so there is no financial liability for the Council from joining the KOS proceedings.

Recent Submissions A variety of fisheries management and marine protection submissions have been made since March; these are online at Management and Policy Submissions 2016 and include: • Crayfish aggregation limits – oppose application to increase aggregation limits.

• Astrolabe Reef s186A closure – oppose application for a 2-year closure.

• Umupuia Beach s186A closure – support application for further 2-year closure.

• Southern Scallops – support closure of SCA7 fishery.

• Paua 7 – support MPI and paua industry in cutting the TACC. • John Dory 7 – oppose TACC increase.

• Snapper 7 – oppose TACC increase.

• Jack Mackerel 3 – support MPI in halving the TACC. • Bluenose – support MPI in reducing the TACC by 44%. ◆

www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 39

LEGASEA UPDATE

LegaSea’s People Power

By Scott MacIndoe/Trish Rea

Upskilling our team Matthew Taylor has settled into his role as Leader of Communications Activities, including coordinating social and mainstream media opportunities and managing our IT needs.

Communications LegaSea has taken on Paul Brislen as a Communications / PR specialist. His advocacy experience has proven to be useful as we navigate through the murky fallout from the catch reconstruction report. Paul’s connections and guidance are providing LegaSea with the necessary horsepower to promote our activities and the New Zealand Marine Research Foundation’s report measuring recreational fishing’s contribution to the New Zealand economy.

40 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

Sam Woolford is working closely with Scott MacIndoe and Si Yates as he leads our fundraising efforts, including maximising the grant application and donation opportunities that are available to LegaSea. Grant seeking has always been a challenge for us so we look forward to seeing some results from taking a more strategic approach to fundraising.

Josh Barclay’s fisheries science background and willing attitude enable him to successfully crossover from LegaSea to fisheries management tasks as required.

Events LegaSea continues to represent the NZSFC at a variety of events.

Scott Cushman (Cush) is leading our community building activities, including generating and maintaining LegaSea’s social media platforms. His skills as a videographer and writer add to our team’s broad talents.

Over the past four years, LegaSea has presented at 255 events attended by over 200,000 people. The Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show in May each year is our premiere event coordinated

by Si Yates and Piet Battaerd.

Pieter Battaerd continues to support the LegaSea team’s effort, thanking contributors and maintaining and encouraging our network of over 200 volunteers.

This year we were invited to participate in the Eye on Nature ‘Water for Life’ programme, educating 1,500 school pupils over three days. We have since received a letter of appreciation from the Manukau Beautification Trust confirming positive feedback for our effort from schools, students and members of the public who attended the South Auckland event.

Seabirds Seabirds and fishing go together so LegaSea has been using its network to educate fishers on how to avoid seabirds and safely release any captured birds. LegaSea now has a good working relationship with the Southern Seabirds Solutions Trust.

Between us, we use the LegaSea website and communication channels to promote relevant information http:// www.legasea.co.nz/seabirds.php

To find out more visit us here and subscribe for updates. Follow LegaSea’s community engagement by liking us on Facebook

www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 41

Why Do We Need Recreational Value Projects?

By Jeff Romeril

hile the substantial report on the value of recreational fishing has been released, with its eye-watering outcomes that surprised even those close to the project, we are still waiting for the peer review process to be finished which will complete the project as set out nearly two years ago.

The peer review is important in that it validates the processes used and then the research becomes a scientifically quotable document for future research on the same matter.

As expected, the document and its results were almost immediately contested by those with strong commercial fishing connections, their advocates and marine scientists.

42 ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz

However, our advocates don’t have to convince them, and that was never the purpose of the research. To make the decision makers, the Minister of MPI and his advisors, think carefully about the way our fisheries are managed to produce the best outcome for the country. This is not going to get done in a single document; it will need sustained evidence that maybe our current methods need to be refined or perhaps even overhauled.

A simple review of the current system and why it does not serve your fishing aspirations well. It’s unfortunate but now irrecoverable that past governments gave away the country’s fishing resource as a property right based on individual commercial fishers catch history. Once

you have a property right, you have a sellable commodity – even though the fish had not yet been caught.

this cycle and have the fisheries, in which both groups compete, managed well above the MSY level. We need spatial separation in highly contestable fisheries such as the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds. We’re not going to get it unless we can show substantial research that its also in the country’s best interest.

The commercial fishing companies were quick to buy these rights off the smaller individual fishers and accumulate them into huge bundles which they then fished with their own boats or leased the right to other fishers. This was done at the same So we now have the value of recreation time the Quota Management System (QMS) was introduced which matched the fishing paper, a huge step in the right direction. This would not have been property rights allocated to fishers. possible if it wasn’t for your donations A cornerstone of the QMS is the in the Give a Little ‘What’s Fishing commercial desire to take the maximum Worth’ fundraiser – $52,819 was amount of fish in weight out of the water generated by this. every year in a sustainable manner.

The NZ Sports Fishing Council was very This has a theoretically scientific supportive, giving a direct donation as equation called Maximum Sustainable well as an advance in future Yield (MSY). If the MSY could be yearly contributions. fished accurately then, this would suit commercial fishers well, but it does not Some fishing and boating clubs, represent your best interest.

LegaSea and some passionate A fishery at MSY produces high numbers individuals also made donations direct to the foundation. For all of these of fast-growing young (smaller) fish. It contributions, the trustees of the means you catch less trophy fish and foundation are truly grateful. lots more juvenile fish. You compete on the same grounds as commercial fishers, targeting the same fish. MSY is an elusive target and often overfished to well below this target so fisheries are in the rebuild with sacrifices in terms of the catch made by all parties, when we did little to cause it. We also argue that value per fish is not best served by fishing at MSY. We need the tools or research to break

However, as stated earlier, we must keep the pressure on and we are now considering and raising funds to add to the research. A paper that directly links the value of single fish recreationally caught the same fish commercially caught.

Based on what we now know it would be surprising if this additional research did not fall favourable in our cause. ◆ www.nzsportfishing.co.nz ◆ 43