November 2024 - Issue 230 - The Fishing Paper and Hunting News
THE FISHING PAPER
Eeek – I just felt a big furry spider jump on me – and it’s dark so I can’t see where it went. Worse, I’m driving, hands at two and ten, so I can’t swat myself in a blind panic whilst trying to kill it before it kills me.
Okay, over-reaction, it’s just a spider
Good sense prevails, I pull over and tentatively seek out the furry
my elbow, in the armrest. It’s no big spider, it’s my lucky rabbit’s foot and it has fallen from the sun visor where it usually keeps residence
Eeeek – so, my lucky rabbit’s foot has abandoned its residence – it has jumped ship and deserted me – does this mean my time is up?
Okay, over-reaction, it’s just the dried front paw of the only wild rabbit I’d ever caught in a possum trap, (albeit inadvertently and temporarily). A rare blue-black coloured rabbit, he had escaped the trap but lost his hairy little foot in doing so. I dried and kept that foot, and it has been my good luck charm for three decades – it is very special to me, as it was to the unlucky rabbit!
It’s still dark when I arrive at the forest entry At the double gates there I unlock the padlock within the steel housing, withdraw the heavy pin and push the gates wide. Hmmm, the top of one gate is wet. That’s odd, it hasn’t rained overnight and it’s far too windy for dew to have settled.
As the gate pivots on its hinges and changes angles the ute
Bucking the Trend Kim Swan
headlights illuminate its secret –possum pee – a zig zag dribble culminating in a wee pool, which has been smeared sideways by a human hand. My hand. Oh joy.
Traversing through the valley the mountain tops in a howling rage
The light of dawn reveals trees whose tops bend in unison, their needles twist and turn. Flurries
northern faces, usually so warm, are drab and cold because a towering cloud bank holds the morning sun to ransom. I really am pushing the proverbial shite uphill today and I’m tempted to turn about and go home
tornadoes are whipped into life from the river’s surface
Deer abhor the wind, especially a wind as strong and as cold as this. It’s bitter out there. I really don’t want to be out amongst it, but at least I can don a warm jacket, the deer can’t. They’ll be laying low, tucked amongst sheltering
for me to locate and stalk.
I persevere but every nook and cranny are devoid of game. The
Eventually my binoculars find target species and, moments later, my bare eyes find another To the binoculars; a handful of skinny young reds far ahead. To the eyes; a secretive fallow buck nearer at hand.
The buck stands stock still and observes me. He is out of shooting range, especially in the gusty crosswind, but I register him on my radar. The reds will be near impossible to stalk in these conditions and positioned as they are. They’re young bush stags, their coats are ragged and they’re gaunt after a long hard winter
The young buck would be first choice on the menu, but I know well enough he will only hold position till I drop from view. The moment he can vanish into the matagouri and manuka without attracting attention to himself he will. So, it proves to be
The reds then, far away and hypervigilant as the westerly stresses their senses. Between them they have eyes aplenty and closing the gap will take skill and a lot of luck.
Luck. Yeah-nah, good luck fell from
above my head and down to my elbow this morning. The only luck trailing me around the hill today is of the bad variety. So, it proves to be
The nervous reds are alerted by a backdraft that shoots up my chute then whirls up through their flaring nostrils. They have no idea where I am but that one gust is enough to see them pack up their picnic and
I quit. I don’t have a picnic but I’m stomp back down the gulch with the westerly riding my shoulder and licking at my ear lobe
There are an abundance of blackberry vines lying across the track, their newly unfurled leaves all bright green, their frost-hardened barbs baying for blood. In a moment of inattention, a strong vine catches the toe of my boot, and I sprawl face first onto the track. The rifle, which had been slung over my shoulder, slams down and the suppressor cracks me on the back of the head. Skull smarting, palms grazed, knees bruised – oh happy, happy day
But wait, there’s more.
As I’m sitting in the dirt, hurting, sulking, picking blackberry barbs from one bleeding palm, I look up to see I have an audience of one - it’s the buck from earlier, he has snuck from his hideout to watch the comedy show of which I am the sole star.
I remain sitting in the dirt, hurting, bleeding. I pick up my bottom lip and the rifle, which had just beat me on the head. Did my fall, and my thick skull just knock the scope’s zero badly? How badly?
I quietly chamber a round then prop elbows into knees, tuck the rifle butt into my shoulder, ease my eye behind the scope and caress the trigger. A crack. A thud. But the echo does not roll around the basin, no, the westerly blows it promptly toward the eastern horizon and out to sea. There will be first choice of buck on the menu after all. So, it proves to be.
One and Done
The bite was meant to be poor but with a lack of opportunities to get out for a paddle, Tivie and I decided that we would hit the water anyway. The bite time was needed and the winds supposedly wouldn’t get up until about 1ish.
We decided upon a very lazy start, heading out in our Viking kayaks about 8.30am to a very empty bay While the plan had been to drop lines early, an object (or two) in the distance attracted our gaze and put our plans on hold while we attempted to identify what we were looking at. As it got closer, it looked very much like a small craft caught in the current, with someone in the water bobbing beside it. Although in the opposite direction to where we were heading, this required a close inspection.
As we drew closer it became more apparent what it was we were looking at, I say more apparent because it was too large for a goat and too small for a cow (at least an adult) – what appeared to be someone bobbing in the water was
in actuality a leg and hoof. A fair clue that this morning wasn’t going as planned.
decided would be our ‘spot x’ that day. In what seemed like no time at all, I hooked up on my Kaveman
• The first is suitable for 22 Hornet through to 243 including, 222, 223, 22-250, 243.
• The second suppressor is suitable for 6.5 through to 30-06 including 6.5 prc, 270, 7mm-08, 284, 280, 308, 7.62 x 39 etc (not including 300 PRC or belted magnums).
• 9” in length (230mm), sits 4” forward & 5” back over the barrel (this is a “fixed” length and cannot be changed or added to) Weight 360 – 370grams (alu internal muzzlebrake 5-6,000 rnds)
• Colour - Black
holding up under pressure. I was a little surprised when it eventually began to rise and up popped what I thought was an OK snapper It took a bit to iki and bleed but seemed to be easy enough for me to slide it into the Vikings rear well, so I estimated it as about 55cm give or take. Before I had even finished, the wind had come up, wrong time and in a completely
the bottom, it felt very shark-like. I finally managed to get some water
nods, just the back and forth tug of war with my wee Shimano Genpu
The best way to see NZ is to fish it!
Mokihinui is just up the road from Westport and home to its popular annual fishing competition. Running from Boxing Day until Jan 4 means getting accommodation sorted asap. Contact the Pub ‘n’ Grub about their onsite cabins where you’re a stones throw from the beach and Mokihinui River which are generally fairly well loaded with fish at competition time. There’s also the Mokihinui Camping Ground and 10 mins drive north to Gentle Annie with accommodation options and camping ground…it gets pretty full!
This year contiki’s and bait canons have their own category with surf casting having its own. Good strong gear is your friend,sandsinkers are the “go to” if you’re into the surf. There are lots of nice prizes for di erent ages/ genders so check out the Mokihinui Fishing Competition on their facebook and “follow”so you get all the updates.
Good luck and stay safe!
When on my own I am inclined to tough it out for quite a while to see what happens, unless I have a good fish on board. But, when taking someone else out with less experience, I always feel conflicted, knowing I should encourage them to head for shore. We tried to tough it out to give Tivie a chance of a catch but retreated to a sheltered area. Both wind and currents were conspiring to thwart us! We decided to head in, letting a tail wind do the work for us.
I pulled back my well cover and bugger me, if my snapper hadn’t grown a good 20cm from my estimate.
10 Day Competition 26 Dec
- 4 Jan 25
Tackle kabura – dead weight. I
Yolande Jeffares "That Kayak Fishing Chick"
Rock Pool Creatures
At low tide, the beach recedes back revealing countless boulders, leaving an entire environment hidden for half of the day
With the breaking waves leaving the area, tiny pools of water are left with thousands of small creatures ready to be discovered. When the wind is blowing and the sea is rough, low tide at my local beach is a great way to spend an afternoon with a small net and ice cream container.
Finding the small creatures is a little bit of an art as not all rocks are created equal, only the large rocks with an overhang and some water flow will hold the many species of triplefin. New Zealand’s iconic colours with the males often having electric blue and red fins. Common ones I run into are the variable triplefin, twister, estuarine triplefin and many more. By far my favourite species is the crested weedfish, which I have only ever run into once Often hanging on the bottom of
rocks are the guitar shaped clingfish, who have a special suction disk in order to hold onto their favourite spot. The sucking disc can be amazingly strong, in some species it’s able to lift as much as 300 times the weight of the clingfish.
Small kina often scatters the outskirts of the rocks, slowly moving along to feed on kelp washed into the rocky shoreline. Kina is quite an amazing creature, as in between the
large spines are tiny tubes, which they use to propel themselves across the seafloor
Under the many deeper rockpool overhangs and nearing their second year of growth are juvenile red rock lobsters or crayfish as we all know them. Finding miniature crays is quite the rarity, as they like very specific cracks normally very hard to see or access. On occasion a big rock will have the odd
one scatter as the light reaches in. Little crays grow very fast at this size and shed their shell frequently in order to make room for the next after they outgrow their little caves. Kelpfish and marblefish juveniles can often be found around surgy rocks in the more exposed parts of the rocky shoreline and make a With
into the net in order to view their stunning juvenile patterns. Young kelpfish are a ghostly silver with strange square dots reaching across the body while marblefish as the name suggests, have marble like green and black mottling across their flanks.
These tiny creatures are so delicate they are best handled carefully before being quickly returned.
The ocean is always a mystery and even in the smallest of habitats continues to surprise me with the diversity and interesting creatures.
Clubs and Ranges The Arms Amendment Bill (Shooting Clubs, Shooting Ranges, and Other Matters)
The proposed amendments contained in the Arms Amendment Bill will move things towards more balance. First thing that I thought was what a mouth full, but let’s be fair it covers a lot of ground and is very important.
The opposition hates the idea that anyone has the nerve to question the BS that they rushed through with the changes and restrictions all under the guise of public safety, which is crap because there were no safety problems on ranges in New Zealand. We have to guess they got their advice from the police, but face it what would they know about running a club and range? We believe that police misled Parliament about the vetting and licence process for the shooter and whether it was properly done, and were all about diverting blame onto
the licence holders and clubs as a smokescreen for their own poor performance
Shooting clubs are like every other club in this country, they are run and held together by volunteers. These are people who live and breathe their clubs and sport not just on the club day or when at the clubs, but are always looking into things and ways to improve their clubs and to help the membership Firearm safety is not something we take lightly and never have on any range I have every visited be it here in New Zealand or overseas. Ranges have always been very professional. The numbers of incidents are extremely low. There have been few when compared to the numbers of ranges and volume of usage. If you compare it to most other sports then we come out ahead in terms of safety. A number of years ago I spent hours trying to find the numbers of shooting accidents and injuries from ACC, (on
ranges) but couldn’t find anything. There was heaps on Rugby/League, Netball and don’t get me started on mountain biking but as for firearms there was nothing.
So how did the changes and restrictions pushed through following the Christchurch massacre make ranges safer? In short answer, they didn’t, all they did was put a lot of extra pressure on those that step forward to help. I am all for improving safety, but change for
change sake is BS, and takes money away from clubs that could be used better, to say nothing of the wasted hours. The lack of understanding of our sport and how we conducted ourselves, whether it’s club days or competition, was obvious. Clubs are an asset to every community they are in, training and advice is freely given, helping everyone improve skills and knowledge, The claims by Labour that gangs will get ammo from the clubs if the to every club member, and explains why they treat the licence holders so badly We need everybody to start thinking for themselves and if you want to find out what we do, go visit a club and see for yourself, then do a submission to support the proposed amendments. We need your support as much as possible.
SHOOTING
Brian Bishop
Nautical Insurance - Keeping costs down
In the past few year’s the topic of insurance has often been around the steep increase in premiums, particularly for Business, Home and Motor policies.
Whilst there have been increases on some Boat policies, mainly for Moored Vessels, premiums for most Trailered Boats have generally remainder static and below the rate of inflation.
There are many factors that determine premium rates. The obvious and most crucial one, is the cost of claims.
other types of insurance. In simple terms it is a pool of money that policyholders contribute to and is used to cover losses some may experience. Therefore, it becomes a collective responsibility on all policy holders to safeguard their vessel and reduce risks. Not only does this benefit the policy holder, if everyone plays their part, it will help keep claims costs and ultimately everyone’s premiums down.
Based on a broad cross section on the type of claims we see, here are a few simple tips on some of the things you can do to lower your risk of a claim:-
Fire
Fire Extinguishers – Inboard fires are one of the most common reasons boaters are forced to abandon ship (other than the obvious one of having your vessel sink). When was the last time your extinguisher was checked? Is it current and going to work if you have a fire onboard?
Trailers
A lot of attention is focussed toward water safety, however boating starts when you leave home with the boat in tow Trailers need regular checks and
maintenance
While the boat is on the water also take time to check the trailer frame for wear and tear, cracks at bends, joints, springs and welded areas. Inspect the rollers to make sure they are rotating freely
Tyres should have plenty of tread and be in good condition without any cracking. Make sure the wheel nuts are properly tightened and check tyre pressure. Wheel bearings should be in good condition and well packed with lubricating grease
Towing hitch and safety chains, D-shackle should have a break load limit rated at least 1.5 times greater than the total trailer weight. A properly loaded and balanced trailer is essential. The centre of gravity should be as low as possible with weight distributed evenly or preferably 60% of the boats weight on the front part of the trailer
The boat must be properly secured to the trailer. The winch/cable strap should be tight. The stern should be secured with ratchet type tie downs.
Rinsing and cleaning your trailer with Salt-Away can save maintenance costs in the long run. Theft and Burglary
Claims involving criminal activity continue to rise. Not only are entire rigs stolen but electronic equipment and auxiliary motors. Disabling Trailers with anti-theft coupling devices or wheel clamps. Small
motors and accessories should be kept in a locked building or boot of your car. Putting permanent identification on the boat and equipment. GPS trackers are also becoming less expensive Collision
Some of the worst claims are with boats hitting rocks and other submerged objects. Just like a car, the faster a boat is travelling, the bigger the mess. After heavy rains rivers will carry debris out to the ocean. Be aware of this and if travelling through waters where there is evidence of logs and timber floating about, not only stay vigilant, but also slow down.
Sinkings or water immersion
A lot of damage and in some cases sinkings happen from water coming from above. So regularly check seals around windows and hatches, also scuppers which can block up If the boat is stored outside ensure the bung is left open and regularly checked as it can block and result in damage from rainfall.
Canvas storm covers age and lose their integrity. They need to be checked to ensure they are not likely to split next time there is heavy rain or wind
The Nautical concept was to provide boat owners with value for money – wide cover, competitive premiums, and prompt claim response times.
Nautical, who is now the largest arranger of boat insurance in New Zealand, has a large customer base mainly in the South Island and Wellington area. This sizeable client base enabled Nautical to enter a long-standing marketing arrangement with Royal and Sun Alliance (now Vero Insurance), obtaining very favourable premiums and wide policy
Br yan Noonan
coverage. When a claim occurs, we work at the sharp end to arrange salvage and recovery, organise assessors and provide immediate advice on where to go and what to do.
All Nautical policies have wide assistance, salvage, recovery and loss-reduction covers which enable you to immediately get your damaged boat to a repairer or place of safety. All reasonable costs are covered by the policy
Observations of the sparrows in my back yard helped develop the storyline of Spadge the leader of the family flock, taking the birds on adventures and along the way I decided to fold in some well-being ideas. Concepts around family life, eating proper food and getting exercise for well-being. Not overtly but just built into the story. My thought was it might be useful for parents and grandparents to help get ideas across to young members of the family. The book is listed by the publishers as suitable for children up to 7 years of age, but it would also be good for older kids to read for themselves to help
improve their literacy. Now a children’s book is not too flash without some pictures and I want to draw attention to the illustrations by Les Holmes. I was casting around for an artist and when I spoke to Les, I said I wanted the birds in the book to have some
human qualities. He said “ a bit like Beatrix Potter?” So I said “exactly, you’ve got it ” He grasped the concept straight away and produced some wonderful images. Spadge is now being reprinted ready for Christmas ,anyone wanting a copy of “Spadge” can simply
email me and I will reply with details.
ivanmurraywilson@gmail com
My hope is, that while the story entertains children, it will also plant the germ of an idea about how
and health. It also has an interactive element with some sparrow facts at the back, followed by a map of the world on which they can identify the countries where this very widely spread bird can be found. I think Spadge will make a very acceptable birthday or Christmas present for people’s children, grandchildren, in fact for any child.
“Spadge” Ivan Wilson with images by Les Holmes
A step in the right direction – new minimum legal
In late September the Minister of Fisheries announced new management settings for PAU3A – the Kaikoura pāua fisheries. Alongside increased catch allowances for all sectors, Minister Jones announced that there would be a new minimum legal size (MLS) of 130mm for pāua for the fishery
earthquake related emergency fisheries closure. This is the coastal area from Marfell’s Beach (PAU7) in the north to the Conway River (PAU3A) in the south. This is the first time there has ever been a regulated increase in MLS for a significant part of a fishery and it is something we strongly advocated for.
Minimum legal size is one of the most widely used tools in fisheries management in NZ and internationally. The primary purpose of setting a MLS is to allow for the protection of immature animals and a minimum proportion of spawning biomass. In other words, MLS enables animals to reach maturity and spawn for a number of years to sustain the fishery before they can be harvested and removed from the population. The higher the MLS, the bigger the proportion of the spawning biomass is protected.
yield per recruit from the nationwide fishery” (Sainsbury, 1982). What this means in practice is that having one MLS of 125mm for the whole country (with the one exception in Taranaki) is much too simplistic. It has also meant that a number of our pāua fisheries have been caught at too small a size for a long time In the commercial pāua fisheries the need for harvesting at more biologically appropriate harvest sizes has been recognised for a long time. Commercial divers harvest at variable sizes larger than
For example the commercial size is 145mm on the East Coast of Marlborough (PAU7) and has been set to range between 130mm and 135mm along the Kaikōura coast (PAU3A). We have recently commissioned independent analyses (using a Spawning Potential Ratio approach) from extensive survey data along this part of the coast that confirm the recommended MLS for this part of the fishery should be at least 130mm to sustain the fishery long term. It is therefore very encouraging to see that Fisheries New Zealand has taken a step in the right direction in setting the MLS in this region
Appropriate MLS setting is highly dependent on the biological characteristics of the specific population, in particular growth rates and length at maturity. It is widely documented that our pāua demonstrate demographic variability
regions – very generally, they grow faster and to larger maximum sizes in the cooler waters of the south and they grow slower and to smaller maximum sizes in the north. It has been recognised in the scientific literature for more than 40 years that “regionally specific minimum legal size limits determined on the basis of local growth parameters, would be necessary to obtain the best
at a size that is more biologically appropriate. This is particularly important in this region which underwent catastrophic pāua population mortality as a result of the Kaikōura earthquake. Increasing the MLS means that a higher proportion of the spawning biomass is protected to spawn and sustain future populations. It also provides extra insurance against serial depletion of localised populations which has already been shown to be occurring in locations that are very easily accessible to recreational divers.
One of the main arguments presented against increasing the MLS was that it would increase
Dr
McCowan – Pāua Industry Council Ltd
incidental mortality as more undersized pāua would be returned to the water and potentially die, as divers adjust to the larger size. While a relatively minor cut can be potentially lethal to pāua, the reality is that incidental mortality
is reasonably constant in pāua fisheries, regardless of the MLS. That has been our long experience in commercial fisheries. You get a consistent “size band” of return to sea fish. The band just shifts up or down depending on harvest size Post harvest mortality of returned undersized pāua is, for example, almost certainly still an issue in the Taranaki pāua fishery with its reduced MLS of 85mm. In fact, as smaller pāua are more likely to be susceptible to incidental mortality, increasing the MLS is actually likely to reduce it because larger pāua are stronger and more physically resilient. A more helpful argument is
into educating harvesters in responsible harvesting technique and how to return undersized to the reef so they will survive Another primary issue with changing the MLS (as is the case with any change to management settings) is the challenge it presents to fisheries enforcement. This is a real consideration, but there are examples of how this has been successfully managed
In
size being enforced successfully in the Oaro-Hamuri Taiāpure of 135mm. Whatever the arguments
are against we strongly believe that the size should be set on what is biologically appropriate for the fishery as the overall sustainability of the fishery should always outweigh other considerations. While the details of the recreational pāua season have not been determined yet for PAU3A, divers should prepare themselves to have the right tools and measuring devices for when it opens. A simple way to do this is to just cut a 5mm notch out of the end of your 125mm Fisheries New Zealand pāua tool. Another great option is the pāua and measuring tool designed by Ocean Hunter which has increments of 130 to 145mm (https://www oceanhunter co.nz/shop/products/knivesmeasures-tools/ultimate-tool.html).
MLS are against we strongly believe that the size should be set on what is biologically appropriate for the fishery as the overall sustainability of the fishery should always outweigh other considerations.
While the details of the recreational pāua season have not been determined yet for PAU3A, divers should prepare themselves to have the right tools and measuring devices for when it opens. A simple way to do this is to just cut a 5mm notch out of the end of your 125mm Fisheries New Zealand pāua tool. Another great option is the pāua measuring tool designed by Ocean Hunter which has increments of 130 to 145mm (https://www.oceanhunte co.nz/shop/products/knivesmeasures-tools/ultimate-tool.html).
Finally, taking pāua at this larger size means that you will get a pretty useful increase in the meatweight you get for the barbeque for the numbers taken. Which has to be a plus!
Finally, taking pāua at this larger size means that you will get a pretty useful increase in the meatweight you get for the barbeque the numbers taken. Which has to be a plus!
Tom
The 5mm increase in MLS in PAU3A is a biologically more appropriate size for the region
MLS helps to protect the spawning biomass to ensure ongoing sustainability
The Ocean Hunter measuring tool can
Close encounters of the four-legged kind
It was the first week of April and the weather had been very wet and wild. Heavy West Coast rain for weeks on end.
Finally, the forecast looked a bit more promising with a week-long clear weather window
Our gear was checked and packed in record time, we strapped on our boots and headed south.
Rose, our lab/pointer mix was full of beans and raring to go, she loves her adventures in the mountains.
We arrived at our usual camp site, the birds were in full song, and we had the place to ourselves.
My husband Chris does a lot of trapping in this area, for possums, rats and stoats, and given the birdsong, he was making his presence felt. Lots of tomtits, fantails, bellbirds and warblers were seen, it was a pleasure on the ears.
Once we had camp set up, pitched our tents, and had a quick boil up, some known wallows and rub trees.
We’d only been in the bush for about 20 minutes when Rose stopped, with ears pricked on high alert.
Up ahead we could see brown fur moving into a clear area. A fat, healthy hind sauntered out followed by her dark brown fawn.
time to see what we could
find.
This time a large slip was our destination, and we saw a very
We watched them for half an hour but saw nothing else and heard no roaring.
We headed back to camp as the sun was setting over the hills, casting an orange hue over the trees.
The next day was overcast, but not
sparse growth. She appeared to be on her own, so we left her to it.
We had a couple of wet days, which left us camp bound, we passed the time swapping stories and listening to the radio for weather updates.
Mel Riddle
again into the dripping, soggy bush. Then, about 300 metres away, we heard a roar ring out. We closed the gap and soon were able to make out a set of antlers thrashing a manuka bush.
He soon tired of that activity and sauntered out into a clear area of the creek, he then climbed up the bank, turned broadside and presented himself with the perfect shot.
We’d already assessed him as a young stag, maybe three or four-years-old, with eight points and decided to leave him. He had absolutely no idea we were there, and he walked to within 12 metres of us! It was a thrill as he walked further up the creek and then melted back into the bush.
On the last morning of our trip, we headed back to the original place we’d first scouted and saw a young six-point stag out on the bush edge He showed a bit of promise, so we decided to leave him to grow for a few more years too. I did snap some great photos of him before we headed back to break up camp
Sometimes hunting isn’t about the kill shot, it’s also about being in your happy place, with good company and making memories.
The Bait Box with Retired Fisherman Norm Hawler
this fine publication brought tears to the eyes of some readers. Although it is not clear to me whether they were tears of sorrow, sympathy or frustration so I feel compelled to brighten things up a bit in this edition. A bit …
Our Fishing Industry
Living by the Bay makes for a good life and in some respects is all that much better in my retirement. As much as I enjoy being in or on the ocean and sharing the buzz of a good fishing day I now also value the time to think and reflect and to read. I can spend hours engrossed in a book or my online reading of items of interest, and in the spirit of inherently being a grumpy old man (to be fair I was a grumpy young
I can argue and criticise Current bugbears are the loss of prime productive farm land in favour of more pine forests owned mainly by foreign investors and the seemingly never ending attacks on our inshore fishing industry
I say ‘our’ fishing industry deliberately because it is one which is directly and indirectly of service to all New Zealanders. Firstly as a source of very nutritious, delicious and sustainable food, secondly as a generator for our national economy by way of domestic and
export market consumer spending. Chuck in regional employment at sea and from local networks of fuel and engineering support services; children and families in regional community schools and service clubs; and voluntary services to maritime search and rescue, and I believe ‘our’ industry is deserving of more positive recognition than it often gets.
And yes, I totally agree that it has its share of ratbags and probably still doesn’t act quickly enough to get rid of them; but when you take a helicopter view of the changes forced on inshore fishing operators even in the past decade you got to have some sympathy for the sector Fleet numbers have been decimated. Those inshore operators who remain are shackled with increasing costs of digital reporting, video surveillance and vessel operating standards. Even the low value fisheries – for example tuna trolling – are saddled with mandatory cost recovery levies and charges that can exceed the price per tonne value of the landed catch. The dolphin protection industry has flourished whilst the fishing industry has been forced to retrench.
‘Our’ fishing industry pays cost recovery levies for the research, management and compliance that is of benefit to all fisheries resource users and to the community at large. Its critics pay nothing.
The news media generally have nothing positive to say but manage to periodically drum up some new
outrage against commercial fishing. Which is why I think that the recreational fishing industry is next in line for prohibitions, restrictions and cost recovery akin to that already imposed on ‘our’ fishing industry. There is little fat left to cut from the commercial sector but the recreational fleet is significantly larger in number and greater in coastal coverage,
other than fisheries regulations,
otherwise unregulated and pretty much unaccountable for individual and collective performance in terms of impacts on fish stocks, animal welfare issues and the like
One group purporting to be representative of the recreational fishing industry seems these days to be more inclined towards marine conservation rather than utilisation outcomes and regularly takes the lash to ‘our’ fishing industry –witness the relentless assault on trawling and dredging for example, notwithstanding a greater than 100 year history for those methods in New Zealand waters.
Us reccies need to be alert to the likelihood of further regulation of our vessels, fisheries licensing for selected species and/or areas, and management by customary interests to whom authority will be devolved under special legislation for the Hauraki Gulf (check out Ahu Moana provisions), customary fisheries regulations (e g. mataitai) or the currently contentious Marine and Coastal Area legislation. The greenies and the do-gooders are coming our way so take heed of the fate of ‘our’ fishing industry and do your best not to give our critics the ammunition to justify their attacks on our recreation and food gathering opportunities.
Fisheries New Zealand (FNZ) is seeking feedback on a proposal aimed at reducing fishing pressure on blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds, as well as a range of other potential measures to ensure the longterm sustainability of the popular fishery
“We’re considering a range of options and management tools to address overfishing and increase abundance of blue cod in the Marlborough Sounds,” says Emma Taylor, Fisheries New Zealand Director Fisheries Management.
“The area sees very high levels the holiday period, which, when combined with other factors such as sedimentation and marine of the fishery. This is despite catch limit reductions and other changes over the past decade.”
Following a 2021 potting survey which indicated that the amount of fishing in the area was significantly higher than can be sustainably supported by the fishery, the commercial catch limit (TACC) for Marlborough Sounds blue cod was reduced.
An advisory group of tangata whenua, fishers, and local residents was also formed to identify measures to reduce fishing pressure and increase abundance in the fishery. The group met throughout 2023 and identified several
potential measures to improve sustainability and abundance for the fishery
future implementation identified by the group such as:
• Closure of spawning areas to
FNZ is now seeking public feedback on a proposal to extend the seasonal closure, which currently runs from 1 September –19 December.
If approved, the new season would apply from the end of 2025 onwards.
FNZ is also seeking public input on a range of wider measures for
fishing to rebuild spawning populations.
• Reduction of the combined daily bag limit for finfish in the area.
• Options to increase information on recreational fishing, such as voluntary catch reporting.
• An educational campaign to improve fishing practices.
• Tools to mitigate release mortality
“Marlborough Sounds blue cod are a taonga, and iconic for many Kiwis. We want to hear from fishers, tangata whenua, the local community, and anyone else with an interest in the fishery,” says Emma Taylor.
Submissions can be made online or by mail until 5pm on 1 December 2024.
More information including how to make a submission can be found at www.mpi govt.nz/ bluecodreview , scan the code below.
There will be two public drop-in information sessions to present information and assist with making submissions:
4.30pm – 7.30pm, on 12 November, in Nelson at Tasman Bay Cruising Club.
4.30pm – 7.30pm, on 14 November, in Picton at Queen Charlotte Yacht Club.
Hooked on Innovation
Throughout the year, surface longline fishers are out on New Zealand waters chasing highly migratory species like bigeye, yellowfin and bluefin tuna. Most of the time it’s a great gig, but accidental capture of seabirds is a big challenge for this fishery and has prompted three fishers to get involved in a unique gear innovation project.
You’d be forgiven for thinking designing a good fishing hook would be relatively easy – after all, there’s not much to them. However, when the goal is to design a hook that sinks quickly enough to avoid seabird captures, is safe for crew to use and is still good at catching fish, it can take years.
In 2022, Bay of Plenty skipper Teepookana with others in the New Zealand surface longline (SLL) fleet, trialled a newly designed weighted hook called Procella. Fishers were hopeful it would be another tool they could use to help avoid seabird bycatch. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite up to the task.
“We had no input on it (the hook design) whatsoever,” Mower recalls. “We all just looked at them (the hooks) like, ‘What the hell?" This isn’t what we want or what we’re going to use ”
The hook’s designer, international bycatch problem solver Nigel Brothers, wasn’t discouraged by this initial setback. He was confident it was still worth moving forward to test whether the Procella – which has its weight built directly into the shank of the hook – could prove valuable for the industry
“To get things going again we needed to get a few experienced fishers onside, to commit to helping us redesign the first hook and, if possible, to trial it,” says Brothers. “This is where Josh Mower, John King and Will MacNicol stepped up and quickly made the Procella their own ”
Mower, who fishes for Garcia Fishing Co, says when Brothers approached him, he was pretty keen to help. He saw it as a chance to try things his way – the fisher’s way MacNicol and King felt the same So, with the three fishers on board, and with the help of retired SLL fisher Dave Kellian, the Procella redesign process got underway. Mower says the collaborative design process wasn’t easy; it took countless emails ('probably 500' were his exact words), drawings and discussions to get to a design they
could all agree on – the Procella 2.0
When asked how the design process went, Brothers says, “I’ve been in this business for nearly 40 years now, and this is probably the most enjoyable experience of working with fishers on a mitigation project "
“Fiddling with hooks is a dicey business but I think it’s been a real success. It’s amazing how many variations you can come up with
between a hook that will work and a hook that won’t ”
The next step was for Mower and King to trial the hook, which they have been doing this season – and it’s been going great.
King, who owns and operates Katrina, has been using the hooks for the past few months. A man of few words, he reports, “they’re going good”. So good, in fact that he is now running 100% Procella 2.0 hooks on his vessel.
Mower agrees. “They’ve (the Procella 2.0 hooks) been a hit. We’ve been using them for about three or four months now, and they’re preforming exceptionally well. We’re seeing great fish caught, and they’re a safer option, too.”
Safety concerns are always top of mind in the fishing industry
One key feature of the Procella 2.0 is the placement of the weight incorporated into the hook itself, which Mower believes reduces the risk of flybacks – a common hazard when weights are positioned further up the line
“We’ve used hooks with swivels and sliding weights before,” Mower explains. “But for me the safest option. With swivels, part of the line, the weight comes flying back. Keeping the weight at the hook minimises that risk and gives seabirds greater protection ”
Mower and his crew are also now using the Procella hooks exclusively. “We’re at 100% now,” he says proudly. “Word is spreading, too. Other fishers are curious to see how they perform, and they’re seeing these
Mower has high hopes for the future of the Procella 2.0 hook. “Nigel (Brothers) wants to try getting them made in stainlesssteel (currently the hook is made by adding lead with a protective coating), and we’re all for it. Our goal is to have the best, safest and
out there.” He believes that with continued fisher involvement, the product will only get better.
What is a weighted hook? Branch line weighting is one of the main ways surface longline fishers keep seabirds safe, as it helps baited hooks sink quickly, keeping them out of the birds’ reach. While weights have usually been added to the branch line, new options like
incorporated into the hook. The Procella 2.0 weighs 62 grams, so when deployed skilfully by a skipper, it should sink quickly out of reach of seabirds. Other options for weighted hooks include using weighted swivels attached directly to the hook.
See our website for the full range
The indexed rotating clamping system has 3 angle adjustments 12˚, 20˚, 25˚ always keeping your knife in the same place
The Procella 2.0
Josh Mower, Skipper of the Teepookana, believes it's important to involve fishers in the design and trial process of new mitigation tools.
T wo Scars And A Great Day Of Fishing
The weather for the weekend was supposed to be good, but I felt like when I opened my car door I had emerged onto the one just out of Invercargill. The sun was a beacon in the the small waves lapping onto the wet sand. It really was the perfect day for surfcasting!
and ended up with a few decent sized rig which were released. I then braved the cold waters of the south and waded out before casting out some baits on a surf caster and retreating into the combination of the unusually
expecting to catch anything, so was surprised to hear the drag on my rod scream and felt the weight of a fish on the end of my line. It ended up being a 70 cm rig which didn’t fight at all the whole time
After a quick release, the line got straight back out there, and we were on within 5 more minutes. This time the drag was screaming, and the rod got pulled onto the ground from the force of the take. This fish was bigger, more aggressive, and put up a pretty big fight towards shore, really coming alive. When I saw the fish It took me a few seconds to identify the fish as an elephant fish.
the hook causing an instinctive reaction of me pouncing on the fish. I knew nothing about elephant fish so didn’t realise they had a spike above their fin before it went into my shoulder. The pain got worse as the ellie thrashed around trying to swim back to sea.
After a quick photo, measure and stab in the arm, the 87cm elephant fish was released to stab someone else some other day
The weather had now began to turn and it was only due to a tangle up of the long line taken out by the drone that caused us to stay an extra half hour than agreed on. Right at the end we got a hit and were hooked up once again. “I know it’s not a kahawai” said my grandpa due to the fish not running at all. How wrong he was. We had somehow managed to
Finn Meijer
pull in a nice 50cm kahawai out of the ‘treacherous’ Oreti Beach, which on this day was a haven for swimming and hanging out. The kahawai was kept and tasted great.
What a day it was. Two scars and a great day of fishing!
Young Apprentice Shylah Joins The Nelson Marine Centre Team!
Nelson Marine Centre is proud to announce a new marine technician apprentice to the of team, Shylah Andrews. At just 16 years old, Shylah is embarking on a journey that is not only rare for her age but also significant as a young female in the predominantly male marine industry. In the current economic climate, where the number of apprenticeships taken on by small businesses are reducing significantly, this marks an exciting journey for Nelson Marine Centre also Shylah’s passion for watercraft and dedication to learning, has already made her a valued member of our team. “I’m thrilled to start my career in the marine industry and to be part of such a supportive team at Nelson Marine Centre,” says Shylah. Nelson Marine Centre has instilled a commitment to encouraging new talent and fresh thinkers to the industry. “Taking on an apprentice like Shylah in these times speaks volumes about our dedication to the future of the marine industry and empowering youth to pursue pathways they are passionate about,” says Pete, Managing Director & Owner at Nelson Marine Centre
Visit Nelson Marine Centre today at 23 McGlashen Avenue, Richmond and discover a wide range of Yamaha and quality products as well as the established workshop Experience excellence on the water with Nelson Marine Centre . FUELLING YOUR ADVENTURE!
Optically Speaking November 2024
Pulsar Merger thermal binoculars are a favourite amongst Kiwi hunters as well as professional users like Coastguard, NZ Police, D.o.C. and pest control firms. The latest addition to the range features a Lynred 1280x1024 sensor that provides a very clear image with a wide field-of-view and ability to zoom to higher magnifications.
A bit about sensors
A thermal imager’s sensor is a principal component that determines performance and longevity of the device. Each pixel in a sensor converts the image that is formed by the device’s lens, into an electronic signal that is then processed by the devices on-board computer. The processed data is then sent to the display screen for viewing.
The physical size of the sensor array, number of pixels and the size of each pixel in the array influence the thermal’s performance characteristics. Larger sensors have a wider field-of-view than smaller sensors. Pixels size is another factor, small pixels form a finer image but are less sensitive due to having a smaller surface area. A correctly matched display screen also determines the overall characteristics of the final image
The new Merger LRF XT50’s 1280x1024 sensor has 425% more pixels than a 640x480 thermal, which is a significant advantage of having a considerably wider
field-of-view and greater image clarity when zooming in to higher magnification. It will perform equally well at short distance and long distance.
Unlike a Chinese made thermal that uses an adapted sensor designed for fixed security cameras, all Pulsar Mergers are fitted with a high quality, Defence Accredited Lynred sensor. This accreditation guarantees performance in harsh environmental conditions, high shock resistance, reliability and other tests, but places Pulsar thermals into the Dual-Use (Military/Civilian) category with strict import and export controls Other features
magnification or higher. I found that 8x magnification provides a very clear image with the XT’s large sensor, so stabilisation is beneficial. Image stabilisation can be
main menu.
2. 1500 metre laser rangefinder This is 50% better than other Merger LRF thermals. Though 1500m is stated by Pulsar, we ranged a bush at over 1800m. As a matter of interest, I had ranged distances of nearly
Operationally, all Merger LRFs are the same, but the XT50 has three
1. Image stabilisation. This helps enormously at higher magnifications, providing a steady image when zooming in to 8x
Merger’s that are fitted with a 1000m rangefinder. This is typical of products made in the EU that are subject to strong consumer protection laws. With all laser rangefinders, performance is subject to conditions, such as ambient heat, sunlight and humidity
3. New platinum body Though cosmetic, it really makes this Merger stand-out from others in the range
Though I only spent a couple of hours with the Pulsar Merger LRF XT50, I’m very impressed with it thus far. The field-of-view is massive, and image quality is mind blowing, even zoomed to high magnifications, when the image stabilisation is useful. It’s 1500m laser rangefinder in normal conditions may seem a bit overkill, but the extra distance potential will still provide 50% better performance in poor weather Is it the right thermal for you?
As regular readers know, I’m a great fan of Pulsar’s Merger range, especially liking the immersive both eye viewing experience and ease of use. My current go-to thermal is the Pulsar Merger LRF XP35, which takes a lot of beating with its compactness, outstanding sensitivity and great all-round image performance
The Merger LRF XT50 is a significant performance upgrade, but this comes at a higher cost as Lynred Pro-grade sensors aren’t cheap. This new thermal is particularly suitable for rendering fine detail at long distance and has a large field-of-view, which are specifications where usually one is chosen over the other. Its 12µm pixel size really delivers resolution, and while its NETD will be higher due t the smaller pixel size, I haven’t really noticed this. I need more time out with the new device so that I can fully appreciate its benefits and idiosyncrasies.
Look out for a field test in a future Fishing Paper and Hunting News. In the meantime, visit www.advancedoptics.nz for more information.
Pulsar sensor sizes by pixel number comparison
PULSAR MERGER LRF
PULSAR TELOS
PULSAR AXION 2 /
Three models available to suit various
Hand-held thermal imagers now allowed on DOC managed land.
The Department of Conservation has recently announced that hand-held thermal monoculars and binoculars are now allowed
control and provides more meat. There is a model to suit all
The Pulsar Telos thermal monocular is the uncooled thermal to achieve <18mK
XQ30PRO
Pulsar Axion Compact Series thermal to last.
Opening Day Blues Coastlines
You’ll likely recall the Boomtown Rats song “I don’t like Mondays,” however for some unknown reason Tuesdays is the day when things go awry. The Tuesday of Opening Day I awoke at 4am, piled out and put on layers of warm clothes, had a bit of brekkie, then had to move the Corolla, so I could get the boat out, so I could get to the Mazda. It was like that scene from The Castle movie “Oi Steve could you move the Camira, I need to get the Torana out, so I can get to the Commodore ” All this went on well before dawn and when I’d hooked on the boat, I had to spend an age with my phone torch trying to get the electrics plug attached to make the tail lights work. Was it an omen for the day? You’ll see as this tale unfolds….or unravels.
Headed up the valley around 5.40 and was passed by a series of vehicles rushing to the freezing works for their 6 o’clock start. It was still dark at the lake and I realised my change for the 5 dollar ramp fee was in the other car, durn, it’ll be 10 bucks next time. I prepared the boat for the water and the light gradually began to change as I completed this task, yet there was still nobody else at the ramp, so I was the only boat on the water while quietly chugging out past the 5 knot buoys. I revved to full noise briefly then
lifted the motor and got out the oars to sneak in around the edges and movement. any – movement for look
Three and a half hours went by with nary a fin sighted and I became paranoid – “there’re no other boats out, so does everyone else know something I don’t?” But eee oop lad, there’s a rise out front of the boat and then it swirled again
nudging my fly. Good, if nothing else, I know there are trout still in the lake, one trout anyway.
The wildlife was quite active with the dawn chorus dominated by those noisy, strident plovers, punctuated with the occasional harsh rasp of a heron, while further away through the trees the high pitched, repetitive piping of kingfishers was audible. Then there were splatterings of black swan as they flapped and paddled furiously to get airborne, all this adding another dimension to the casting and rowing practice I was getting. I must have rowed a couple of kilometres as I moved along with a fly out the back in harling fashion, then stopped to cast in each likely looking spot. It was a still, grey old day with no wind and fortunately no rain either, but I
never needed to remove any layers of clothing with the persistently low temperatures. The vast bulk of Mt Te Kinga appeared, then hid itself from time to time, as the mist and cloud slowly drifted through. The lake level was up, but it had been higher, evidenced by the water marks left behind on the reeds. It still allowed
me to float up behind the trees and get into odd places I’d not visited for quite a while, but still there were no fish and I wasn’t even scaring any out of the shallows into fleeing with
Ivan Wilson
an associated bow wave Paranoia strikes deep - where were they all. Lunch was taken in a remote reach and this activity traditionally has been guaranteed to bring a fish around the moment you break out zilch, nada, zero finned creatures appeared. After lunch I carried on a bit longer, then as the situation had not improved I pulled the plug, fizzing back to the ramp where I the lake. He’d not spent a long time out there fishing, but had nothing to show for it either He was a dairy
land and I remarked about how important fishing is for well-being and he responded something along the lines of “especially when you are looking after TWO farms ” We chatted about this and that and I got the feeling he enjoyed the social contact, talking with someone who was not a farmer, but had some empathy with their rural way of life. For me this again reinforced the way our piscatorial activities are good for mental health. Mind you my day out could have been seen regard, but I’m pleased to have had a yarn with someone from that rather vulnerable agrarian sector. The day was not completely wasted.
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KAIKOURA, NEW ZEALAND
Join us aboard our purpose built 6.2m Osprey Boat, “First Light”. Your fully quali ed skipper, Malcolm Halstead, has 35 years’ experience shing in the waters of the South Island of New Zealand. It is Malcolm’s goal to make sure you have a memorable shing experience while visiting Kaikoura. Also available
Freediving trips - Take a kid shing Ladies trips - Game shing for Sharks CALL AND BOOK A TRIP TODAY
