May 2023 - Issue 212 - The Fishing Paper and Hunting News

Another kingi for me

Jan-Hendrik Uys

My buddy James Plunkett and I made a late start on Saturday for our mission launched our kayaks at 8.30am.

1) You don’t always need to launch at the

2) Always chase the birds, they’re your eyes in the sky.

3) No need to ponder is already in the hatch.

Things I noted from this trip:

James!

crack of dawn.

The smile says it all

You can’t beat Welly on a good day

An avid angler, I’ve always got one eye on the lookout for spots to cast my line, and recently I tried my luck in Wellington Harbour. Often overlooked in favour of the rugged coast.

Shannon’s snapper sparks squeals and smiles

It was my 40th birthday and I said to Shannon I wanted to spend the day

Lisa Lamb

Freddie Zachariassen

Court date set for Delaware dust up

The Nelson City Council Environment Court case over boat access at Delaware Wakapuaka Estuary near Nelson has entered its final phase, with a hearing on legal submissions set for September.

The Delaware Access Group, who have been fighting to save this iconic estuary launch site on behalf of boaties, fishers and the wider public since 2016, have engaged lawyer Nigel McFadden to represent the group and speak to our submission.

Nelson City Council, with the backing of local iwi, claim the historic launch site that has been used by the public since before Nelson was gazetted as a town in 1842, doesn’t exist and is trying to have boat launching and retrieving determined a ‘not permitted activity’. In its legal submission, Nelson

City Council claim there has never been a launch ramp there, despite The Delaware Bay Access Group pointing out in its submission, that it is listed as Māori Pa Road Boat Ramp in MPI’s o cial register of New Zealand recreational boat ramps.

The Māori Pa Road Boat Ramp is the only safe all weather launch ramp in the area and, until the Environment Court rules either way, the launching and retrieval of boats there continues.

Claims of the issuance of bogus trespass notices have surfaced and the group urges the boat launching public to avoid conflict and remain focused on launching and retrieving your boats.

The group has lodged an information report with Nelson Police, which allows members of the public to report and log any incidents

relating to the launch of boats at 310 Maori Pa Road, Delaware Bay. The file reference number is 201222/6902.

If an incident requires immediate response, dial 111. However, phones may not work out there so there is opportunity to log incidents after the event by dialling 105 or file a report online at 105.police.govt.nz

While it appears a local issue, the wrong outcome could set a dangerous precedent for beach access throughout the country. The Delaware Bay Access Group has spent $30,000 or more to date, fighting this on behalf of the public. More money is required to finish the job, so please give generously.

Please pay your donation to Delaware Bay Access Group Incorporated Society, bank account: 06-0958-0210014-00

Front Cover Story

Delaware Bsay Access Group

Freddie and trev enjoy the harbour

Freddie dined well that night

Sea lions in the southern squid fishery

(Part 2) Ben Steele-Mortimer

Last month we explored the overlap between the treasured New Zealand sea lion/ rāpoka and our southern squid fishery and mitigation steps to reduce interaction between the two. While significant advances in knowledge and investment in innovation has reduced sea lion fishing related mortality significantly, the situation remains complex, with additional factors at play.

Monitoring the population and disease

In the late 1990s when population monitoring became routine, there were increasing pup counts on the Auckland Islands. This was followed by a gradual decline in numbers after 2002, with an outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae— while at the same time, the fishing fleet was decreasing in size and capture rates of sea lions were declining. In 2014, the pup count dropped by 18% on the previous year and was the lowest count since 1995.

The plan also looks to better understand threats, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, nutritional and climate change stress, other environmental threats, and fishing impacts.

To date, Deepwater Group remains fully engaged in the TMP process and continues to ensure the squid fleet operates in alignment with Marine Mammal Operational Procedures and the Fisheries New Zealand SQU 6T Operational Plan.

Between 2014 and 2022, pup counts on the Auckland Islands stabilised.

This triggered the development of the New Zealand sea lion/rāpoka Threat Management Plan (NZSL TMP). The NZL TMP details a five-year plan of targeted research, direct mitigation, and regular monitoring at all known sea lion breeding sites.

However, in February 2023, DOC reported an estimated 25% decline in the expected number of pups on the island. DOC has commented that “this apparent drop was not associated with an increase in sea lion captures in fisheries around the Auckland Islands”. Figure ! In 2022 there were two sea lion captures in SQU 6T (Auckland and Campbell Island area), with 94% of the fishing events observed by government observers. Additionally, DOC noted that there weren’t any obvious outbreaks of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Neither were there any indications of widespread disease outbreaks at the colonies.

Figure 1: Total annual pup production estimates for New Zealand sea lions on the Auckland Islands, from 1994/95 to 2021/22. Covid interrupted the 2020/21 count. Black dot denotes 2021/22 minimumI estimate whilst the red dot denotes the adjusted estimate when a multiplier is applied.(source: Young MJ and Manno K (2022). Auckland Islands 2021/22 New Zealand sea lion field research report: CSP pup count. DOC)

According to DOC, “One hypothesis is that the warmer than usual ocean temperatures may be a ecting food availability, as some fur seal pup counts have had similar results this year”

Ocean temperature changes: According to MetOcean Moana project manager, Malene Felsing, “The fishing industry has been instrumental for the roll-out of the Moana Project , which is helping researchers, industry and government better understand oceanographic and water temperature changes across the whole of New Zealand’s Economic Exclusion Zone”.

Temperature sensors are deployed on fishing gear and temperature profile data are collected and automatically sent to a database to help improve marine forecasts and hindcast modelling, including forecasting the marine heatwaves that have been present throughout New Zealand waters for the last two years. The sensors are providing vital subsurface temperature data that we have never had, which has greatly

increased our understanding of our changing seas.

Pup counts on Stewart Island/Rakiura and the mainland: Despite the challenges faced by the Auckland Islands population, sea lions have begun to expand their range north from the subantarctic islands. Since the 1990s, breeding females have been returning to Port Pegasus in the southeast corner of Rakiura, and Otago Peninsula. These small but rapidly growing populations of sea lions on Rakiura and the mainland show the species is demonstrating adaptability and resilience.

In response to concerns about the impact of the fishery on the Auckland Islands sea lion population, the government and seafood industry have made significant e orts since the early 2000s to understand the e ects of the fishery and develop new mitigation tools and approaches to reduce risks.

Looking forward

Over the past 20 years, the squid fishery has successfully reduced observed sea lion captures by around 90% since 2004

with a high degree of certainty, and the seafood industry remains committed to continued investment and partnerships to better understand risks to this taonga species.

Despite the stabilisation of these counts in recent years, the recent significant drop in New Zealand sea lion pup counts in 2023 is a major concern to deepwater quota owners.

The New Zealand seafood industry is committed not only to mitigating its own risks of harm but also to collaborating closely with researchers, DOC, and FNZ to investigate the causes of the decline, prioritize research and management e orts, and ultimately restore New Zealand sea lion populations to safe levels.

Additional information may be found at the links below

https://www. deepwatergroup.org/wpcontent/uploads/2018/11/ MMOP-Version-9-2.pdf

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ dmsdocument/38189/direct

https://www.moanaproject. org/recent-marineheatwaves

Long live the King

Kim Swan

I can see a brown dot on a distant clearing. If I squint and tilt my head, I reckon I can see it moving. Yes! Yes, it is! The brown dot is moving along the top of the clearing. No binoculars, I haul my camera out and point it in the direction of the dot, then zoom up the photo.

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Crimpy

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Ernest Hemingway

Skinny water flighty fish

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Sunny backwater, spot the paddle boarder

A trout challenge for Charlie

Fisheries New Zealand reminds people –

A month into the recreational Kaikōura and south Marlborough pāua season, most people are following the rules, however people gathering extra pāua for people not actively fishing has kept fishery o cers busy.

“The bag limit is really

important to continuing recovery of this fishery a ected by the 2016 earthquakes. If people are in the water actively finding and taking pāua, they are entitled to a daily limit only – they can’t take extra for anyone else in their group who is not fishing for pāua. Fishery O cers are keeping

a close eye on this and will do throughout the season,” says Fisheries New Zealand regional manager Fisheries Compliance, Howard Reid.

This season the area from Marfells Beach to Conway River is open for people to gather up to a daily limit of 3 ordinary blackfoot pāua and 3 yellow foot pāua per gatherer per day. The minimum size for black foot pāua is 125mm and for yellowfoot pāua it is 80mm.

And within the OaroHaumuri Taiāpure on the coast south of Kaikōura the daily limit is reduced to 2 blackfoot pāua with a larger minimum size of 135mm, people can also take only 2 yellowfoot pāua from this area with a minimum size of 80mm.

Fisheries New Zealand has Fishery O cers and Honorary Fishery O cers regularly patrolling the coast with extra o cers brought in when needed, such as during holiday weekends like ANZAC Day which brought plenty of people to the region.

“Flat sea, blue sky, sunshine and ANZAC Day meant we had quite a lot of

visitors to the Kaikōura coast gathering pāua over the weekend.

We found several people gathering extra pāua for other people in their group. You can’t do that, and we’re strictly enforcing this rule. Our job is to protect the fishing resources from overfishing and ensure people take the legal daily limit and minimum pāua size. We treat every situation on a case-by-case basis and issue warnings and infringements where needed."

Mr Reid says most people were aware of the new rules and stuck to them. A few infringement notices were issued for undersize pāua – mostly to people who guessed their pāua measurements or used a tool, such as a paint scraper

or stick, to remove them o the rocks and try to measure their catch which proved inaccurate in minimum size almost every time.

“Our advice – ask a Fishery O cer for a Fisheries New Zealand free o cial pāua tool and you’ll get it right every time and protect pāua from being damaged during gathering.

Our fishery o cers were along the coast talking to people about the rules before they gathered and during catch inspections once people came out of the water. People who have clearly made no e ort to follow the rules can expect a fine,” says Howard Reid.

The 2-month recreational season ends on 15 June.

“How we treat this season will likely a ect future seasons. If you’re unsure

of any rules, ask a fishery o cer or download the fishing rules app which works even if you’re outside a coverage area. If we all fish responsibly, the resource will hopefully be sustainable into the future,” Mr Reid says.

The new Kaikōura recreational pāua fishing rules are here.

Further information including rules for other fish species is available on MPI’s website or by downloading the free NZ Fishing Rules app.

Fisheries New Zealand encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the Ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 47 62 24).

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Control yourself—take only what you need from it Kaikoura reopening—season 2

On April 15 this year, the November 14 earthquake a ected area of the Kaikoura coastline now designated PAU3A, and the Marlborough east coast were reopened to recreational pāua fishing for the second season since the closure. The fishery was closed in 2016 under Fisheries Act Emergency Regulations by Minister Nathan Guy because of fears that the earthquake had severely damaged pāua and other shellfish populations along the coast.

A diver gathering dinner

This was a good decision by Minister Guy, which provided time for the fishery to “re set” and for marine scientists to intensively research what was happening, to help future management decisions It remained closed for five years and was reopened in December 2021 for the first trial season by Minister David Parker for three months, before closing on 28th February. Included in the reopening were new Total Allowable Catches (TAC’s), daily bag limits, extra enforcement e ort and a close monitoring of actual catch by researchers from Blue Water Marine and Canterbury University.

First season a bloody slaughter

Unfortunately, the first season didn’t play out as the Fisheries Managers had intended. They had mooted a conservative and cautious approach to catch levels in the recovering fishery but this was overwhelmed by the huge level of recreational fishing activity. For example, head counts of around a thousand participants on peak days were recorded along the accessible coast adjacent to SH1. The documented catch levels and impacts concerned local Iwi, the scientists and fishery managers, which lead to a

re think on what should be in place to ensure future seasons would not impact on the recovery further. It was also recognised that the second season would have to be a bit of a catch up to mitigate the earlier over harvesting.

2

For the 2023 season the package of measures for recreational fishing includes:

• A two month recreational open season, starting 15 April.

• Strong enforcement of the rules by Fishery O cers and Honorary Fishery O cers, with support from outside the district again.

• MPI and FNZ are encouraging the use of ministry provided pāua tools, which are free, and the NZ Fishing Rules App.

• An ongoing monitoring of catch levels by Blue Water Marine, to be reported back to the Ministry in near real time.

The ability to take Yellowfoot has been included this year for the first time since the earthquake closures came in.

The daily bag limits and sizes; See image 2

Always check the rules for your local area

Credit Dave Rae

How this second season plays out will inform what following seasons might look like. If the catch levels are within allowances, then the adaptive rebuild approach promoted by Te Korowai and Kaikoura Marine Guardians point to possible daily bag limit increases and a longer season. But that is in the hands of the recreational fishers participating.

Do your bit with the Mainland Catch App

A useful and practical way to help in future decision making is for fishers to use the “Mainland Catch” App, which can be downloaded to your cellphone, with specific functionality for reporting pāua catch and observations. See Image 3

A really promising measure

Credit - T.McCowan

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The one that got away and the one that did not

I love Twizel, there is so much to do! My goal was to catch a 20 pounder on

with three nice chinook days. However, I was struggling with my rod as the line kept breaking.

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Fish Mainland’s article in the April issue of The Fishing Paper & Hunting News referred to the recommendations on recreational fisheries management set out in the 2017 report, The Future Catch: Preserving recreational fisheries for the next generation.

This report’s recommendations are based on the observation that New Zealand’s management of marine fisheries is at a crossroads. That is, the Quota Management System needs modernisation to keep up with changes in social expectations around discards and bycatch, and with technological change that allows better monitoring and reporting.

Recreational fisheries management also requires modernisation; without some level of integration into management policies and processes, recreational fisheries will, at best, remain a marginal management priority. Competing fishing sectors will continue demanding that their rights prevail over others, with the resulting fights hurting each

Fish Mainland – working to improve shared fisheries

Larnce Wichman Chairman Fish Mainland

sector and shared fisheries.

We are pleased to acknowledge that since 2017, progress has been made on the report’s four primary recommendations: First, to cope with increasing complexity in management processes, demonstrated, e ective (and accepted) representation of recreational fishers’ interests is critical to improving overall decision making.

Fish Mainland was designed to fill the need for representation of recreational fishers’ interests at the Ministerial to local community levels. All fishing sectors and interests would benefit by having representative bodies that can collaboratively address a range of issues and work with diverse groups to resolve shared problems.

Second, a recreational fisheries policy should be designed in the context of shared fisheries. This means acknowledging the importance of recreational fishing and supporting industry while recognising the legislative obligations that uphold the rights

associated with customary fishing and quota holdings; by law these rights cannot be rendered ine ective.

Fish Mainland has developed such a policy; its purpose (paraphrased) is to pursue workable solutions that focus on collective shared e orts to enhance fish stocks for the benefit of all fishing sectors https:// www.fishmainland.nz/southisland-recreational-fisheriespolicy

Third, to improve fisheries management, MPI must change its culture by including a greater level of stakeholder participation and engagement. Fish Mainland cannot succeed otherwise. We consider that MPI is increasingly realising the benefits of moving beyond its ‘us versus them’ approach.

Fourth, improved data collection on recreational fishing is the missing link to integration into management policies and processes. With the development of smartphone apps, it is feasible to collect selfreported recreational catch and e ort data.

For this purpose, Fish Mainland has developed a self-reporting app, appropriately named Mainland Catch. Our website has links to download Mainland Catch and videos on how easy it is to use: https://www.fishmainland.nz/ mainland-catch-app

We are pleased to report that Mainland Catch includes the recreational Kaikōura coastline pāua fishery open until 15 June.

We encourage all recreational pāua harvesters to do their part in sustaining this fishery by harvesting within the new limits and recording their catch and e ort data on Mainland Catch.

Finally, we are very grateful to Jim Crossland whose vision played an instrumental role in designing Fish Mainland. Jim also led the Board of Directors until he recently stepped down as the Board’s Chair.

After being a Director of the Board for two years, I feel privileged to take up the chair role. It is timely for me to take up this role as

I retired from the seafood industry. I would like to share my knowledge of fisheries management, along with my longstanding involvement with Te Korowai and the Kaikoura Marine Guardians, which should be of benefit for Mainland recreational fishers.

Please show your support for Fish Mainland by becoming a member for free and making donations via our website or bank account no 03-0823-0101056-000.

Larnce Wichman taking up the reins

2 wild ducks

Duck fat

Salt & pepper

Satay Sauce

3 – 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tsp crushed garlic

2 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp crushed chilli

Pinch salt

165g tin coconut cream

165 ml water

1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Fillet ducks by cutting either side of breastbone and carefully removing breasts and legs from carcass. Cut into quarters.

Heat 2tbsp duck fat in saucepan over medium to high heat. Cook the meat side of each portion for 2 – 3 minutes or until coloured.

Remove to grill rack skin side up. Place under grill and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the skin is crispy. Cook breast meat until pink, but cook legs for another 2 – 3 minutes.

Satay Sauce

Heat oil over a medium heat and sweat onions until soft and translucent.

Stir in garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

Stir in peanut butter, season with salt and add water and coconut milk and reduce until thick and creamy.

Remove from heat. Stir in fresh coriander and serve with grilled duck.

PISTOL SHOOTING

from

River City

Brian Bishop

The indexed rotating clamping system has 3 angle adjustments 12˚, 20˚, 25˚ always keeping your knife in the same place

Competitors

all over the country attended our event in Wanganui on April 1 and 2.

More bling

Not the sharpest man on the hill

University had just started to kick into gear and my with tedious assignments. To combat this, I snuck out to Central Otago for a day hunt hoping to bag a preRoar stag or meat animal

CRV glided to a stop on the edge of a rocky 4WD track. The sun was well over the skyline. My sleep-in had cut off a few hours of valuable hunting time, so I quickly got into it, quietly creeping up the mountain, peering over knobs and into guts—

Unfortunately, there weren’t any stupid deer close to the car, so I had to change positions.

Daniel Crimp

an expert on the issue. At 20 she has compiled this biblical tome on the ‘climate crisis’, which has chapters from selected scientists, and idealists.

Swedish born Greta Thunberg, propelled onto the world stage at the age of 15 by her emotional outbursts, wild accusations and blame laden rhetoric, has become the global Jeanne D’Arc heroine of the climate change crusade and lauded, ironically, as

Huge hind, huge landscape, huge mission

Multi-tool but note the

A daunting taskbutchering a huge hind with a gadget

Cou a’s Cut: Coutta

Cou a’s Cut (by Lynne the Ruthless)

Gidday Crimpy, Lynne the Ruthless here. I’ll just mention now he doesn’t call me that to my face. He’s not quite that stupid. Why are you hearing from me? Well, the bastard has done it again. This isn’t the write his article by the way. Before a far less prestigious publication than The Fishing Paper got sick of his impolitically correct writing and moved him on, which was a nice way of telling him to piss off, he’d bugger off duck shooting leaving me to deal with his monthly contribution if it could be called that. He even tried to convince me his police dog knew how to drive the dog van.

Rescue Reflections

Recently, I aided an injured man in the Richmond Ranges, while hiking the Te Araroa trail. He had no emergency device, so I used my Garmin InReach mini, aligned with TrackMe to request help for him. I also used my PLB although in this case, the InReach/ Trackme device would have

I was commended for my preparation, organisation and for doing the right thing and doing it right. On

and perhaps others, to learn from this experience.

Susan Millington

Ron Prestage

Bait.