November 2022 - Issue 206 - The Fishing Paper and Hunting News

Birthdays are special—or should be. I had vowed and declared my 52nd birthday was going to be exactly that—special. I was going to catch a big fat snapper for that day, so I spent plenty on pilchards, berley, tackle, etcetera.

My 16-year-old daughter Danielle and I ‘overnighted’ up the Kenepuru, with a mind to being on the spot before daylight. Despite good intentions, Danielle remained sound asleep—as 16-year-olds do— while dad set about his mission. I am a traditionalist when it comes to my snapper, and always

Happy birthday to me

use bait, and the Kenepuru hard to go past the entrance when looking for snapper.

Shortly after 6.00am, I had a ‘run’ and, as is sometimes the case with big snapper, I wasn’t sure it was a snapper; solid take followed by a forceful sprint for freedom and heavy resistance as I leaned into the rod. All the signs of snapper but big rays and large sharks haunt these waters too. Then colour as it broached the surface. Snapper. Big snapper. BIG snapper! Shit—the net!

With Danielle still soundly sleeping, I realised I hadn’t folded out the landing net. I

land it unassisted, so began hollering—as you do when you own a 16-year-old—to wake her. This caused her to leap out of her sleeping bag at such a speed, she became

light headed and almost tipped up!

Still, she overcame that hurdle, regained her composure and deftly netted father-daughter moment and, in that instance, she was forgiven all her 16-yearold sins (yes I have a death wish)!

before us and we were eager to see how it would stretch the scales—23lb the pointer said, on two separate scales. A beautiful snapper equalling my PB.

Being my birthday, which is a week before Christmas, and we were having a street party at our house that afternoon, the snapper remained whole and on salt ice for the ultimate bragging rights to be had. What a present.

Neil Patterson

Interesting Reef Species

few of my seldom seen favourites.

Scarlet Wrasse

Scarlet wrasse are the

milling about on the open reef in water deeper than 15 metres. As a part of the wrasse family, they have the same sharp teeth designed

urchins. They grow quite large after they change sex into males, reaching about 40cm. Scarlet wrasse, as their name suggests, have brilliant red colouration

belly colouration crosses the red scales creating pineapple like markings. Add a black stripe on the tail and you

Red Banded Perch

Red banded perch are actually part of the grouper family, even though they more resemble a sea

years, I have managed to capture two of them. One in deep water off the coast of Waimarama Beach and another in just 10m on Pania Reef, out of Napier. They are much rarer than other reef species, as they prefer to sit in overhangs during the day. At dusk, like

to eat small crustaceans and they have rather large teeth, which would suggest they

Dwarf Scorpionfish

These small but venomous throughout the North Island. They are surprisingly common to catch when using small hooks to target tarakihi. They only grow to around 30 centimetres but are very good at shooting out of the reef to grab a bait

at night, using their excellent

They are my most favourite small reef species to look at, with their vivid orange and red colouration.

Sweep

Blair Whiting

Why a hook and line and not a trawl net?

The behavioural species determines what methods, is most suited to the target species. For example, trawling is generally used for species that swim in schools of various sizes or that are not attracted to baited hooks.

swim alone and may also be found on rough bottom that we aim to avoid when trawling.

The longline method can either be used near the

targeting demersal or semi-

methods are commonly used throughout New Zealand.

A bottom longline set up consists of a length of mainline with baited hooks attached by short branch lines called snoods. The mainline is set with intermittent weighting to keep it on or near the either end hold the longline in position and buoys are attached to the start and end of the line to mark the longline location. Hauling is done by use of hydraulic and hooks cleaned and reset for the next shot. The baiting of the hooks can either be done by hand or a machine. When shooting or setting

the longline over the stern of the vessel, there is a period of time when the baited hooks are near the surface before they sink. At these times, seabirds attracted to the bait are at risk of capture. By limiting their access to those baited hooks, the risk of incidental

captures is reduced. The by weighting their lines so they sink faster. This can be done by using a mainline with a metal core covered by rope material, or attaching independent weights to the mainline at set intervals between the hooks to ensure the line and hooks sink as quickly as possible beyond the diving range of seabirds. In addition to line

or streamer line to scare any birds away from the mainline and baited hooks as it is set.

The tori line, with colourful streamers (see Figure 3) at 5 metre intervals, is suspended above the hooks while they are at shallow depths but sinking, and are able to be targeted by seabirds. The quicker it sinks the less risk to seabirds. The tori line is an essential mitigation tool and its use is required by law, when shooting a longline.

Every coastal longline vessel has a Protected Species Risk Mitigation Plan, which details the mitigation options that vessel will use

comes to mitigation options. Department of Conservation

credit – DOC Conservation Services Programme project MIT2015-02)

the preparation of those plans, provide materials for mitigation, and support mitigation when seabirds are captured. Use of the plans is vetted by Fisheries NZ observers and will in the future be vetted through the cameras, once they are installed on all longline vessels.

The commercial industry works closely with the Department of Conservation and Fisheries NZ to maintain operational procedures that provide an agreed structured approach for mitigation and assessment of risk, relevant to bottom longline and other

be found on the Fisheries Inshore NZ webpage, along with the additional details for line setting and aerial extent requirements of tori lines. advised to download with their gear setup from

The National Plan of Action (NPOA) – Seabirds and web links to commercial longline regulations and at https://www.mpi.govt. managing-the-impact-ofreducing-deaths-of-seabirds/

Adam and Leef setting a bottom longline from the FV Southern Cross (Source: Lesley Hamilton, Seafood NZ).

Diagram of the commercial bottom longline sink rate regulations, where the slowest sinking hook must reach a 5m depth within the aerial extent of the tori line (Resource developed by Dave Goad & Zak Olsen with support through the DOC Conservation Services Programme).

Coral encounters and ‘spine’ surgery

Mike Ponder (Hendersons)

Fishing the Coral Sea was a long held dream of mine, which became a reality when I joined Darren Shields from Wettie and 11 there in August.

spent 10 hours steaming overnight to reach our various spots, with Ribbon Reef being the furthest point.

water, there was plenty to It was a far cry from what I’m used to in Marlborough, with 9-10 degree temps and being the norm. Here was “luxury lad, sheer luxury”; 23 degrees and 30 metres to be there.

The Norcat 11 slept 16 and towed two 6m dories, which around the reefs and tip us over the side in pairs.

I had expected to see sharks and was not gliding in for a look within 10 minutes. They weren’t

too aggressive, but they did need to be watched— caution being the key. I only enjoyed the daily experience of encountering them.

Other challenges soon presented themselves; everything was bigger and more wary than what we encounter here in New to shoot in the clear water, with my spear falling short a lot. Spending time target would have been a good idea but I eventually worked it out.

If you didn’t dive almost directly on top of the fish, it would soon just fin o with no chance of a shot.

were a lot larger than what they appeared swimming around on the bottom. The coral trout in the pic was a classic example of that.

days, I started getting a little bit of vertigo, which wasn’t

pleasant, so I spent the next day swimming amongst the coral in the shallows. Surprisingly, this was the highlight of my trip. The

were really something else and it’s as vivid as the pictures you see. Even in the shallows, there was still plenty of target species and

from a large school of 2030kg Māori wrasse barrelling around, to the tiny bright out of the coral.

I managed to shoot seven different species, including a one spot snapper, which unfortunately slipped out of my hand and embedded a spine very deep in my hand. Let’s just say it took two surgical operations to remove it. But that did not take away from the trip at all!

bin to bring home. They great to get the chance to try something new.

of a lifetime for me.

Going ugly and squat for kingies

Andre Cheremnov

The water temperature had a bit of climbing to do but we were fossicking, regardless. It was on the cusp of Canterbury kingi season and we’d headed out into Pegasus Bay for a scout around. Top water

it doesn’t hurt to mix it up occasionally.

After lucking out on a few spots along the coast, we switched to jigging softballs around squat lobster clouds; blooms of these little crustaceans drew us in so they must be appealing to

other predators as well. A massive cloud enticed a soft bait from me and I retrieved it with a slow heavy jig action.

Cast, sink, slow wind— jig, repeat. Then WHACK, WHAMMO, Whomp… this bad boy smacked the soft bait and peeled line like there was no tomorrow. I

Ugly Stik rod, Ultegra 12000 reel spooled with 50lb braid leader.

Pegasus Bay is all sandy bottom so it gives plenty of scope to have a good scrap

without the need to muscle it. I wasn’t putting much pressure on at all and let the ten minute battle play springs at 9kg and was a welcome catcher so early in the season.

I am an up and coming

in soft baiting high country rivers and lakes for salmon, trout and perch. I also intend offering saltwater days chasing kings and other sport

Contact andrecheremnov@ hotmail.com

Andre's jigged kingi

JUST ADD BAIT

over sixty years ago—I was thrill of exploring new places. On this occasion, my good friend Hugh Andrews and with me and Jane as we nosed about Central Otago, relishing

We found ourselves at the Poolburn Dam, where we soon up for a bit of lunch. Not one to let a chance go by, I rigged up a worm and, before it even hit the bottom, it was smashed by this hungry 4lb trout. It was a feisty little bugger and six decades of accumulated experience accounts for something. They feed on kōura or suppose that gives them plenty of energy. It also gives the way to enjoy lunch.

Bob McAuley

• Quality Japanese hooks manufactured in high carbon steel for superb strength

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Alex Nasmith - 27lb 3oz Snapper (IGFA Female Junior World Record) IGFA 6kg Line, 60lb Tough Trace and 6/0 KS Hooks

Sam Boothroyd - John Dory 4/0 DX Point® hooks

Sprung

There’s a blackbird scolding in the cherry tree. He’s warning his partner their past month’s energies have been invested in vain. The nest she built, the eggs she laid are about to be pillaged by a weasel. The weasel has a nest too and babies to feed, so she raids the nests of others to take care of her own offspring.

Weasel and her mate slink around hunting during the daytime. We sometimes see one or other dash across the lawn, a pilfered bird egg in their mouth. The raids are just intermittent enough that the shotgun is never ready in time to end the mustelids’ lives.

At night time there’s a feral cat on the prowl. He’s been terrorising the birdlife too and killing the young wild rabbits, which frolic amongst the daffodils and the roses. I’ve seen him, in the light of the full moon, arched aggressively and eyes bone he’s scavenging. Spring has sprung and all creatures—herbivores, carnivores and omnivores— are taking advantage of Mother Nature’s bounty. Most have young to feed, as well as themselves and

Kim Swan

there is an urgency amongst both predators and prey to consume as much protein as possible.

The new season’s grass— rampant, bright and full of natural sugars—is not kind to winter-starved pigs. They crop it hungrily but it scours their stomachs, turning their black-bauble dung into dark green slop. The slop accumulates on their tails and stains their hocks.

Goats appear in places they haven’t been since last spring. They travel far from their hilltop haunts to the lowlands and there they feast upon the tender new growth weeds.

Deer are feasting too, late to bed and early to rise, they alternate between gorging and sleeping. This morning it’s me who is the slinking predator and the deer are my prey.

I’ve not been a teenager for nearly 40 years but I’ve just seen three available males and I’m behaving like a love-struck girl. My heart is racing, my brain is racing and I’m making a plan to get myself at least one cervus

today.

Which one?

The two redheads are big blokes but they’re lean and rough. The more mature one is the horniest but his appendages appear soft and downy. The other has nothing up top. He’s not horny at all but with more of the good grass he might grow a worthy pair.

Lurking near them is a little mummy’s boy. He’s not long off the tit and it shows. He’s a scruffy and nervous little individual, hanging with the big boys for security. They hate him as he brings unwanted attention with his white tail.

I make a cunning plan,

males to come home with me. I drop back, sneak up a rock-strewn gutter,

I’m above them. Or am I? Where’d they go?

As it happens, the two big rednecks have caught wind of my intentions and they make eyes at me just long enough for me to realise I’ve been sprung. Somehow, without me communicating verbally, they know I’m only after them for their body and they’re not interested in a girl

like me.

The odd-boy-out is hiding now, playing peekaboo amidst a thicket of manuka and matagouri. Even for a weaner he is tiny. He’s thin, his hair stands on end and his horny protrusions are ‘pffft.’ For all that, he is kinda cute, too cute to tear limb from limb with a piece of speedy metal.

So it’s been a wasted morning, I’ve failed as a predator. I stomp away disappointed - no meals on wheels for the ravenous offspring today. Not that my offpsring need me to feed them. They’ve been off the tit for a very long while, weaned and thoroughly independent unlike the kids, kits, kittens and chicks all about me.

Then I see treasure, dropped carelessly beside the creek. A freshly cast buck paddle. Big strong chocolate brown and perfect. Till today, right this minute, I had no clue there was a quality buck in the vicinity.

So, just like that, my hunt is no longer a waste of time. If I needed a reminder to pull my head in and appreciate I was out here, free to roam

the opportunity to harvest a feed, this was it.

So I pick up my lip, lift my shoulders and put my smile back the right way up. I tuck that buck’s gift under my arm and appreciate it as

Cou a’s Cut:

Coutta

Ramping up the aggro

I just mentioned to Lynne the Ruthless, it’s bloody Saturday and Annette wants everything in by Sunday night. I’d better get my arse into gear. She asked me if I was yet again going to write about what Jacinda and the Labour Party have done to piss me off over the last month. I gave her a look of total WTF are you talking about and patiently explained Crimpy only allows me 500 words, not bloody 5,000, so no, I haven’t got room to write about that.

I will however mention something that does get on my wick and correctly assume others will agree with me. That’s people buggering around at boat ramps. Many years ago, I reluctantly came home from the Northern Territory. I didn’t want to but the Ruthless seemed to think we should, due to relatively minor reasons such as being of the year, all of us getting

giardia, me getting too and being three hundred kilometres from the nearest doctor or, more importantly, a hairdresser. Also, she sort of indicated that she was coming anyway so I thought it best I tagged along.

Coming from a little outback settlement to Auckland was quite a culture shock for me but a simple thing that relieved that shock was visits to the Half Moon Bay boat ramp on a Sunday afternoon. With a couple of cold Lion Reds, it was honestly the best free entertainment in town. What I witnessed there was highly amusing, mainly because I wasn’t one of people trying to get their boats out of the water. I saw everything from drunks falling into the water, boats getting rammed from behind, trailers jack knifed across a two lane ramp and even the odd punch up.

I only lasted a few years in Auckland before securing a transfer to Rotorua. My

is the Bay of Plenty out of Tauranga and, to a lesser

the treasure it is. Not only has this cast-away antler brightened my day today, it’s given me hope for next season’s possibilities too, should I be lucky enough to roam and hunt for yet another year.

extent, the various Rotorua lakes. While people here are a bit more skilful in backing trailers and operating boats, there are still more than a few dickheads who think it is perfectly okay to back onto the ramp before getting their boats ready to drop into the water. They are, or seem, oblivious to the fact that there are people waiting to get onto the water while they piss around undoing shackles, taking off tie downs and even climbing onto their boats to look for the bungs. Just the other day I was waiting at a ramp on one of the lakes. I had my boat ready to go but had to stand and watch a guy putting his jet ski onto the trailer for, I

this guy made it. When he pulled the trailer out of the water, stopped and, still blocking the ramp, put his tie downs on. He then smiled and gave me a friendly wave. How I waved back indicated to him I wasn’t as friendly as he was. I know I’m getting old and grumpy but… Catch you next month.

An open salute to Fred

The 2022 Opening was planned to be special.

Each year is a standout event but this day was set up

travelled to a very productive kick off the season together and mark the memory of a couple of the lads’ dad.

Our group was made up of Cantabrians and us West Coast guys, who over the years had gathered for sides of the mountains.

The morning came after a few days of cold, blowy conditions that tore blossom from trees. At the lake, it proved still cold, blowy and with white caps on the waves, while our truck was rocked by some ferocious gusts. We didn’t get out.

We watched the weather a bit, then moved to another lake sheltered by Mount with no other boats on the water—on Opening Day for goodness’ sake!

We rowed stealthily behind

some reeds, where we saw taste. It was enjoyable in the calm conditions, hearing calls, primeval rasps from swan notes and the strident aggression of spur-wings. We both rose and missed

However other elements of the day beckoned. We cruised back, reloaded the boat onto the trailer and headed round to the original lake, where we’d arranged to meet the Canterbury contingent for a poignant event to mark the passing of our great mate Freddy the Fisherman. He’d been

while hosting us at his high country bach each year. We gathered at the gravel ramp, sat about talking piscatorial matters until everyone arrived, then held a few moments of remembrance. I read my poem, doggerel really, in memory of Fred and we shared a tot each to mark the occasion. It was a moment

appreciated by the two sons and friends of Fred.

cleaned, a very odd-looking critter was taken from one of

quite a lot of conjecture, because even with our combined experience, there was no clear idea about what the specimen might be. Thoughts ranged from a very fat bully, a well-developed salmon fry, or a pale little

looked nothing like anything from freshwater environs we’d seen.

Then thoughts turned to an illegally introduced appeared in another Coast Lake, the rudd. So, it was photographed and taken to & Game for further analysis. It would be sad if something that didn’t belong was found in the lake and we hadn’t taken a record of it. Every angler has a part to play in protecting our world class

We’d planned a special day and that is what we had.

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Jo Nichols giving her speech on behalf of Advanced Optics at the 2022 Coastguard New Zealand Conference.

Sinker to Smoker

‘TV aerial’ at the beach

make a device for keeping holes on Westport’s North holes were exposed at low successfully for snapper in came in, the water level rose and it would spill over the sand at my feet so I bent a hook shape at one end of the two-metre rod, poked the other end in the sand and

after the tide had turned,

Once those days were over, I repurposed the device by adding in some extra bends

at the hook end and using it to hold my surfcasting rods in place, out of the sand and accessible for setting

It has proved to be a very handy device, as good as having an extra pair of hands and has served me well on too stony to allow the holder to be pushed in, I simply mound up rocks around the

saved a lot of reels from getting sand in them and makes attaching rigs, baits,

It can also double as a walking stick if I have to traverse uneven ground on

poking it through a couple of the biggest rings on my aerial’ is a well-tested useful

Is there an app for that one? The question we asked as we landed our mystery

Five hours earlier, on Friday morning, we had come up from Christchurch to Kaikoura for a long weekend

We had launched the Osprey from the South Bay wharf in the mid-afternoon to cool and calm conditions, as we headed out and back

a 20-minute trip, we slowed the boat down and cut the motor, in about 50 metres of water, to an amazingly still

The battle of the brands was about to begin as I reached up to the rocket launcher and grabbed the wife’s trusty boat rod with a Penn 6000 reel and hooked her up to a

Daiwa 10-15kg Boat Rod, Penn 7500 reel with a Kabura

competition above the water had commenced, it was slow we only caught a few rock cod and blue cod by late

sun and a snack, suddenly, there was the whizzing and bending of Shimano rod, as something fast had just taken

Nothing like the whizzing sound of the reel and the rod nodding and bending, as the wife grabbed her rod with the the excitement of the battle, which had unexpectedly drag on the reel and the whizzing of the outgoing line had now started to slow the rod began the bend even

My son caught umpteen

I calculated his effort was

of the exercise to catch

My dinghy (Dinghy McDingyface) is over 50-years-old and made of

The oars are ancient too; you cannot buy decent dinghy

The dinghy was towed to and from the beach by my neighbour’s vehicle, no, not electric but his vehicle is a SWB Land Rover, also total distance is less than a

The dinghy is muscle powered (one rower) and retrieving the net is also muscle powered, this time

amounted to a barrow three-

some of the lost line and with

Over the next 15 minutes, wifey continued to reel in the surface, it decided to make one last run, the rod bent further and the whizzing of we looked at each other with huge smiles on our faces and the look of bewilderment at

had better check the app!

- but check the app!

prepared and placed on ice as we headed back to the

were sourced at auctions after the original oars were stolen and rowlocks accidentally

The net was owned by my

worn off and been replaced had replaced the end poles to make it look tidier and repaired some of the holes

The ropes are much newer, only about 20-years-old but they are polypropylene that has been kept out of the sun

Nothing in this venture, except the onlookers, was aged less than 20-years-old and only less than a cupful of fossil fuel was used in the methods of preparing it for fry

or brine and smoke it to make the tastiest

My ‘TV aerial’ on the job

Michael Hendriks

S M OK IN

Smokin’ Barrels Oak smokers don’t suffer from undesirable condensation build-up

Westport Whitebait Festival

Daryl Crimp

A light dose of ‘Buller sunshine’ wasn’t enough to deter foodies, the adventurous and disciples of the frontier spirit from embracing the annual Westport Whitebait Festival over Labour Weekend.

Droves of locals and visitors were happy to fritter away Saturday enjoying the stalls, entertainment, live music and food, despite light

which created a relaxed spacious feel and ambience but it was whitebait people came for and, despite a lacklustre season, they weren’t disappointed. A couple of stalls were kept busy cooking up whitebait patties, the delicate aroma drifting down Palmerston Street enough to ensure a steady stream of hungry clientele.

A highlight of the entertainment was the Whitebait Filleting Competition, which was hotly contested by teams representing St John Ambulance, Talleys and The Fire Brigade. Each team comprised of members vying objective: to head, tail and three minutes. Points were awarded for technique and presentation, with the ultimate award taken out

• Easy to use

• Heaps of space for racks/hooks

• Cold smokes cheeses to nuts to veges etc

• Hot smokes anything

COOKING with CRIMPY

by The Fire Brigade, which competed in full regalia and with the ‘Jaws of Life’ as back up.

The main drawcard, however, was the Whitebait Cook Off, which attracted seven teams: the four schools—North School, South School, Buller High and St Canices—South Peak Homes, Mitre Ten and Buller Rugby. Contestants had 30 minutes to create a whitebait dish in their own style and were scored on presentation and taste: 10 points each category for a possible high score of 20. With ‘Crimpy’ as Chief Judge and open to bribes, an impromptu ‘panel of four

judges’ was hastily cobbled with Richard Fairbrass and Jonathan Taylor stepping up and Gemma Rout reluctantly seconded from the audience.

The results impressed the crowds and stunned the judges. With only twoburner cookers to work on, the teams excelled, delivering a Masterclass lesson in whitebait cuisine.

The classic fritter with white bread, butter and lemon juice formed a central theme, with most teams either adapting the recipe with a twist, incorporating it into a themed dish or innovating

came down to fractions of a point in the end. South

Best Presentation with their twist on White bread and Pattie, while North School won the Innovation Award for their Whitebait Threeways: whitebait with fried Māori bread, in beer batter, and with homemade white bread—accompanied with a craft beer match. Buller Rugby got over the line in third place by bribing

Buller High scored second with the best Pattie.

The supreme award was taken out by St Canices

a new recipe entirely. The judges were impressed and the high standard of presentation. Dishes to impress included Whitebait Pattie with fried Māori Bread, Whitebait in Beer Batter, Whitebait Benedict, Whitebait Dumplings and Whitebait Patties with Stuffed Grilled Mushrooms. Many of the dishes were even accompanied by a beer match, such as the innovative Whitebait Cucumber Canapé matched with locally brewed Cucumber Beer.

Such was the calibre of the entries, the judges deliberated at length to select a winner, saying the standard was so high it

with a stunning Whitebait Ramen Dish: a Japanese style noodle soup with whitebait cooked three ways—pattie, individually fried and in a cabbage & spinach dumpling— served with a Ramen egg. The judges said, while complex, the presentation epitomised this style of dish and it was well executed. However, when all the elements came together in the spoon, it produced the perfect marriage of ingredients, came alive and created a truly unique.

Put a ring around next Labour Weekend—The Westport Whitebait Festival is not to be missed.

St Canices innovation won the day

Buller High's simple classic fritter

South School twist on a classic whitebait dish

North School delivered a creative twist

The late W. Edwards Deming was an engineer, statistician, and professor whose insights are still often quoted. One quote is ‘A system must have an aim. Without the aim, there is no system.’

New Zealand’s systems for sectors have mixed results.

The Quota Management System (QMS) for managing the commercial sector is improvements by implementing electronic reporting and monitoring.

The aim of these improvements is to better ensure sustainability through greater transparency and accountability. Such improvements are necessary for the QMS to keep pace with other QMS-type systems worldwide.

In contrast, the system for managing the recreational sector remains obsolete for two reasons.

First, the system lacks data on recreational catch and effort by area despite the National Panel Survey in use since 2011/12.

The survey results extrapolate data from 5,000 to 7,000 participants; it is

Mainland Catch – improving the management of South Island recreational fisheries

a bit of a stretch to base estimates of total catches on data from 1% of the estimated total number of

Also, since the survey is household based, estimates are less precise for some South Island areas.

Furthermore, there are questions about the value for money given the survey costs around $5 million, with most

its use to every 5 to 6 years, which impacts on system responsiveness.

Second, the system relies on management tools that have remained largely unchanged since the Muldoon era; the tools comprise daily bag and spatial and temporal limits.

In comparative terms, New Zealand remains in a bygone era, behind overseas jurisdictions’ aims and tools for managing recreational

The problem is the system lacks a substantive aim; that is, sustainability can be compromised when we don’t know what was caught or the tools used cannot limit total catches to Ministerial-

determined recreational allowances. The recent re-opening of the Kaikoura example.

Fish Mainland recognises improving the system is better data on recreational catch and effort.

that better data informs management decisionmaking, including occasions that substantiate the recreational use or reduce environment impacts that

Fish Mainland has collaborated with the Nelson-based Plink Software Ltd to develop a recreational

expanding into other

The data is collected via a mobile app, appropriately named Mainland Catch. It is an intuitive and simple app can record data for all

While data reporting is aggregated to show blue

personal data is not made available to the public.

Recently Fish Mainland released Mainland Catch to its members, South Island groups.

During recent meetings in Otago and Southland, supported Mainland Catch as an integral part of the

Fiordland Marine Guardians proposed management changes.

Mainland Catch is now available to the wider South Island recreational sector.

Fish Mainland will hold meetings throughout the South Island to demonstrate Mainland Catch, and to discuss its importance for

We trust its importance is

increasingly apparent. As Deming said, ‘The ultimate purpose of collecting the data is to provide a basis for action or a recommendation.’

Links to download Mainland Catch and videos on how easy it is to use, along with meeting schedule, can be found on our website:

Measuring recreational catch is a shot in the dark

PISTOL

SHOOTING

Brian Bishop

In early October I went to Dunedin for the South Island IPSC Champs. The build-up, for me, wasn’t great. With my main pistol out of action, I was forced to use my back up pistol. After a shaky start the Sunday before going South, I got the hang of most of the differences in this pistol and had high hopes for good results.

Boy, that didn’t last long, the little things just felt larger and slowed me down, which showed in the scores I was getting. Small things matter when shooting under pressure from other competitors and your own expectations of yourself. As with most sportsmen, it is the expectations we have of ourselves that are the hardest to live up to.

Don’t get me wrong, the other competitors are doing

the same and it all comes down to who masters it the best. A comment was made to me a few years ago that shooting was a bit like golf, a huge part of it is mental rather than physical and, in a lot of ways, that is right. Hitting the targets isn’t really hard and we do it every day at practice without much issue but the change of competition pressures adds a whole new level of things to handle and master as best we can.

The same in golf, it isn’t hard to hit a ball just at your feet and not moving but add in competition and anything can happen, and usually does. What I do know is, a golf course is a waste of a my humble opinion.

While I started out okay in my shoot, things went bad fast. I let myself down by not prepping as well as I should have, which resulted in a giant meltdown on a stage, sights off and a couple of

that, I had a brain fart on the other big stage, the two with the most points and it was all but over for me.

Everyone else seemed to be doing well and as the

supportive friends they are, they pointed out quite happily how bad I was doing. I can’t really say anything because this is what makes this such a great sport, the quality of moral support given so freely. While the sport is very serious in a lot of ways, these are good people. No one gives a damn how much money you make or have, or what

religion, we just like to come together to shoot. We still have one or two folk, for example Adam from Christchurch, who was division but he does dress like he should be playing golf. I can’t rightly say we are all normal, as normal would be boring, but down to earth is what we are.

around d’Urville for a week, two or three times a year.

Stealth 770 skippered by the legend himself, Dan Fisher. Awesome boat. Dan is the best captain I have he never fails to put us onto the big dogs—“Big seas, big

Another secret is to kit up with good gear; we use Black Magic. Highly recommend that.

some of the biggest have been on mediocre days with a bit of a swell running. Big seas and all that. But it works.

CRIMPTOON

One terrible day, in a nudged towards Stephens Island and caught an 18lb snapper. Then a 22lb one horse—in only a couple of hours. The Sounds are packed with snapper, gurnard, blue cod and heaps of crays—we always hook up. And kingies. Whenever I catch one jigging, Dan says I’m stuck on the bottom and I say, “F#@k off!” Then pull in a kingi.

Thanks happy Dan. Legend.

Delia Ephron

Double Day

Reviewed by Daryl Crimp RRP $35

Delia Ephron is an acclaimed American author and screenwriter with a stellar track record: think

in Seattle, Michael and You’ve Got Mail and books The Lion Is In and Siracusa, and get the picture that she can craft a good story and write a compelling script.

However, in the memoir Left on Tenth, life imitates art when the script is written for Delia and she becomes the central character in what could easily be one of her best screenplays, or novels.

One of four author/writer sisters born to screenwriter

parents, Delia carts an impressive lineage but tragedy struck when her sister Nora died from leukemia in 2012. Her soulmate and husband of 33 years, acclaimed screenwriter and author Jerome Kass, died of prostate cancer in 2015. Widowed in her seventies, life seems an empty shelf for Delia but a chance email exchange with a man she dated in college

years dead.

Unbelievably, she realises she has found her second soulmate and, while caught up in this heady new romance, she discovers she is profoundly ill—facing death from leukaemia like her sister!

What follows is an often harrowing, tearful, poignant yet, at times, funny account of her battle with cancer

set against the subtext of a deepening love affair and a second chance at life. From cutting edge experimental procedures through intense pain, crushing depression and suicidal lows, the story emerges as one of great romance and triumph of the human spirit. It will probably end up as a movie, completing the obvious circle where art imitates life!

Left on Tenth—A Second Chance at Life

Plastic Odyssey fitted with Simrad

Simrad Yachting has outfitted the bridge of the Plastic Odyssey research vessel as part of a 4-year partnership supporting Plastic Odyssey’s expedition around the globe to tackle the issue of plastic pollution in our planet’s oceans. The partnership was announced last year but due to a 1-year delay from the pandemic and technical challenges, Plastic Odyssey shifted departure festivities to late September 2022, with the circumnavigation scheduled for three years.

“We are excited about supporting Plastic Odyssey’s mission and expedition by fully equipping their vessel’s bridge with the latest in radar and navigation technology,” says James Methven, Global Head of Brand, Simrad Yachting.

“The boat re-fit over the past year is only the start. We look forward to sharing this inspiring adventure of the Plastic Odyssey team, helping keep them safe and on course, while also covering the voyage across our digital platforms with updates and content.”

Plastic Odyssey’s goal is to address plastic pollution on a global scale, by traveling to low and middle-income

countries – where coastal cities have amassed massive quantities of plastic – in hopes of turning these areas into local micro-factories as the main raw material for the transformation of plastic waste into building materials and fuel, thanks to low-tech and easily transferable technologies. Plastic Odyssey also plans to work towards a plastic-free future through the development of various awarenessraising, educational and social sciences research programmes.

“The refit of the Plastic Odyssey vessel is nearly finished after more than 2 years of hard work,” said Simon Bernard, Founder & CEO, Plastic Odyssey. “The bridge and its electronics were refitted with state-ofthe-art Simrad® products and we are not only thrilled

but also very confident in these systems that are key for a vessel about to circumnavigate the globe for 3 years.”

In July, the boat headed to Marseille, France to prepare for the expedition departure with a full programme of events scheduled for late September, including media activities, boat christening and o cial departure from Marseille’s Vieux Port on October 1. Along with providing Plastic Odyssey with the latest Simrad® electronics and navigation technology, Simrad® technical experts have been on hand to train Plastic Odyssey researchers and captains. Featured Simrad products on the bridge include R5024 12U/6X CAT 2 Radar, Simrad P3007 GPS system and S3009 Navigation Echosounder.

Oceans and Fisheries

The Fisheries Amendment Bill that passed its final reading today will strengthen and modernise the management of New Zealand’s fisheries.

“In New Zealand, oceans define our way of life – they contribute to our climate and shape this country culturally, recreationally, and economically,” Oceans and Fisheries Minister David Parker said.

“This Bill will help ensure the continued health and resilience of ocean and coastal eco-systems, and the role of fisheries within that.

The Fisheries Amendment Bill’s provisions for on-board cameras and changes to discarding rules will help incentivise better commercial fishing practices and more selective targeting of fish.

The use of on-board cameras is a key component of the Government’s fisheries system reform. It follows the 2019 roll out of cameras on vessels

Hon David Parker

operating in core Māui dolphin habitats.

The cameras will inform fisheries management decisions, helping ensure sustainable use of fisheries nationwide. It’s a big step towards a more data-driven, integrated, and responsive fisheries management system.”

The Bill also introduces a more graduated o ences and penalty regime. This means that penalties on commercial fishers will be more proportionate and appropriate to the size of an o ence.

Key changes in the Bill include:

• All fish caught, whether they are a Quota Management System species or not, must be reported.

All QMS species also must be landed, unless there is an exception set by the Minister.

• Graduated penalties will allow all factors of the o ence to be considered to better reflect the consequences of o ending.

• There will be a fouryear implementation period for reviewing exceptions to the landings and discards rules to ensure that fishers will have time to transition to the new rules.

“This Government recognises the importance of, and the range of pressures facing, our oceans and fisheries. Fishers are part of local communities, and they support the local economy and other local businesses,” David Parker said.

Image Boats has eye on world stage

Invercargill company, Image Boats Ltd, has an eye on the international market after recently being selected for the Business Export Mentorship Programme Awards 2022.

Image Boats Managing Director Dean Wilkes said, “We are excited to be awarded the mentorship and look forward to the opportunity to showcase our custom made 6-11m alloy boats on the world stage.”

The programme is set up by Southland Export and was open to many businesses looking at taking their products to export or exporters looking for new markets.

Image Boats has grown from humble beginnings into a major player in the alloy boat industry. What started in 2000 as a vision by Managing Director Dean Wilkes, has grown from a back yard one-man band into today’s success story. Much more than just a standardised assembly line, every boat produced is custom made to be highly personalised to the customer. The company

has built a trusted team of contractors: auto electricians, painters, upholsterers and plumbers who take care of all the details and deliver exacting standards so a quality product is assured. With over 190 builds behind them now, they have the formula right.

Throughout the design and build process, Dean works closely with his clients and team, to construct a custom wants and needs. The lines of communication are open throughout every stage of the build, through email, photos, phone calls and meetings.

Image Boats proven hull designs carry a six-year warranty as your guarantee of quality, and are stable for even the roughest of seas—as proven time and time again on the notorious Foveaux Strait. Comfort and safety go hand in hand. They won’t be beaten on ride quality or value for money.

Dean, Stacey and the team know that the boats they holiday homes as well as the they are also often a lifelong dream come true.

see

• Complete design & build services

• Full customisation of our designs to your exact requirements

• A complete, entirely inhouse service

• Custom built boat trailers to transport your vessel

their Annual

the

The dates and locations are advertised as the 8.5m “Demonstrator” model is available for viewing and test drives.

“If you want to see your dreams become a reality, don’t hesitate to contact us today,” says Dean.

Salmon hulk Hegan’s PB

Harry Hegan

The canals have become a popular destination for targeting super-sized trout. Against the backdrop of the spectacular Mackenzie Country, it is truly a magical experience. Apart from big trout, salmon are also targeted. These are escapees from the commercial salmon farms and every now and then, a big escape sends ripples of excitement through the angling community.

Dad and I spent a rewarding day soft baiting

there recently, which resulted in me catching my PB salmon. There had been an escape, so anticipation was high and success was forefront of the mind. The technique we employed was pretty simple: cast out and retrieve slowly, but it proved deadly. We caught eight salmon between us, with my best putting up a really good 20 minutes. It ended up being around 13 pounds and will probably remain my PB for some time.

Image Boats offers everything for your boat under one roof:

To

an Image Boat up close, watch for them as they take

Christmas Tour around

South Island.

Dean and Stacey from Image boats all smiles at the awards

COLDITZ

TIDES OF CHANGE

Prisoners of the Castle

by Ben Macintyre

Penguin Viking RRP $40

As a post-war ‘baby boomer’ I had a father who survived WW2 and started gathering up weird war books about the evil Nazis and cruel Japanese. I found out later he was trying to understand how certain races could be so nasty. I picked up the ‘hobby’ and soon had a collection of cheap paperbacks, all featuring WW2 stories, many of them heroic POW escape sagas. Among them Douglas Bader’s, Reach for the Sky.

myself reading the latest WW2 publication COLDITZ with great anticipation. Immediately the book stood out with its huge array of wonderful black and white photographs, the venue built in the 10th century, then extended and adapted over the centuries with its various uses. Initially a castle with 700 rooms but by the 19th century it had been a poorhouse, a remand home, mental

hospital, then during WW1 it housed tuberculosis and psychiatric patients, with over 900 deaths recorded. Photographs depict an ancient, evil, spooky looking monolith, standing high above the village of old stone houses—all equally cold and sinister—where those who worked in the castle lived.

Before WW2 it housed political prisoners, opponents of Hitler, then in 1939 it became the designated camp for those with ‘unfriendly attitudes’ toward Nazi Germany.

The main body of the book is divided into four main sections 1941-45, with high interest topics, key characters, key incidents and various escape attempts along with the changing fortunes of the war. As I read on, so many of those early paperbacks came to life again and I was able to bring an adult brain to understand those early ‘exciting’ dramas.

Airey Neave’s 1955 book They Have Their Exits, one classic example.

As readers work through to the 1944 and 1945 chapters, the drama and tension builds to the point where I could not put the book down. Subchapter headings such as, ‘The Prominente Club’, ‘The Sparrows’ and ‘The Red Fox,’ each add to the drama.

In addition to the many wonderful photographs, there are several maps and plans that give the reader greater comprehension. Where exactly was/is

to the castle and township since 1945? Is it still there?

This book is a must for any households with a link to WW2 and all its horror, a record of factual history that occurred on our planet just a few years ago, with so many lessons to be learnt for all mankind.

Incoming… eles early at Oreti

John Knowler

The elephants arrived early in Southland, with Oreti Beach producing good

on a running rig with bait buddy, but pilchards and squid seem most popular.

half tide on the incoming,

breakaway sinker. A good trick is to have the trusty bell on the rod because these

Eles produce the best surfcasting action in this neck of the woods, and put up quite a display when hooked. They often break

the surface and porpoise, so They are bloody good eating when fresh too.

For more tips and ele insights, pop in to see John K or John M at Invercargill Hunting & Fishing: they can kit you in the right gear and tackle, and pass on a few hot

John Knowler, with 17lb ele

Our chopper roared off on a bluebird day and, after a at Lucretia biv, Lewis Pass Tops. I was accompanied by new friends Alan and Pete, fellow members of the NZDA North Canterbury chapter and both experienced hunters with a great deal of knowledge and hunting stories.

Lucretia, Brass Monkey and a hungry brown trout

Shawn Gerrity—NZDA North Canterbury

We started up the track mid-afternoon and stopped to scan a clearing in the dense forest. I noticed an antler protruding from the bush line and, sure enough, we were onto a solid young stag. His tall, even antlers were enticing but, as this was a management hunt, we were only out for hinds. So, we admired the stag for a

while longer and headed for the tops.

We climbed up the steep unmarked track before emerging from the bush. Vast sweeping views offered excellent glassing opportunities, so we settled in to catch our breath and got the binoculars out. As the sun began to drop, deer

to bring a hungry brown trout to the surface with my

The next morning we walked to the carpark, our packs tragically light from a lack of venison. Despite not achieving our prime objective, the trip was a success. Being relatively new to New Zealand hunting, I learned a lot from these two guys. Alan had spent his life hunting the

West Coast and Pete had exceptional knowledge of

We shared some ‘secret’ spots for future hunts and the guys gave me some tips on shooting, that I sorely needed. We made plans to hunt together in the future.

These NZDA trips are a great opportunity to get out there with like-minded people in your area, make new friends, sharpen skills

and share your experience. They’re also important examples of New Zealand hunters taking an active role in the ethical management of game populations, which improves the relationship between hunters and managers. This hunt was fun, affordable, and I’m already signed up for the next one.

emerged onto the tussock to groups but none within our reach. Before dark, we crept back down toward the hut, stopping to watch the stag in the comfort of dusk.

The next morning, Pete and Al teamed up for a bush hunt while I spent the day climbing up and over the saddle to seldom-visited Brass Monkey biv. I spent the evening glassing the treeline around the biv but nothing appeared, despite plentiful deer and chamois tracks. In the morning, I got onto a large hind and yearling but they managed to slip back into the bush before I could close the gap. With the sun now up, I began the long climb and descent back to Lucretia.

After a rest and debrief with the others, I began the walk out, camping on the

Epic high-country tops at the head of Lucretia stream. There are at least 4 deer in this photo as well as my hunting partner Pete, catching his breath after a steep climb up.

Fantastic weather on the Lewis Tops, the infamous Brass

A beautiful calm evening on the tops under a full moon.

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