Tide of change for N.Z. inshore fishery

Press, 20 January 1987, Page 10

Tide of change for N.Z. inshore fishery

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington New Zealand's inshore fishery is going through the biggest change in its history, according to the Minister of Fisheries, Mr Moyle. As part of its long-term plan to reduce over-fish-ing, the Government had bought from commercial fishermen all or part of their rights to catch nearly 16,000 tonnes of some species of fish — at a cost of $45 million.

Just before Christmas several hundred fishermen had been paid S2SM, he said, with an average of $50,000 per fisherman. Some individual cheques

had been as high as SIM.

Fishing pressure on the most endangered fish species, such as snapper, school shark, ling and elephant fish, would be reduced by the Government’s individual transferable quota scheme. This pre-Christmas payout had been the second in 1986, Mr Moyle said, and the Government now had 15,800 tonnes of the 21,500 it was seeking, in two lots of 5800 tonnes for S2OM and 10,000 tonnes for S2SM.

While the voluntary buy-back had not netted the Government all it required, the reductions

meant that the next step — compulsory reduction of catches —T would not now have to be so severe, except for those fishermen who had declined to sell anything at all. The most significant reductions still; required were for snapper in Auckland and Northland, and for bluenose, 1 . elephant fish, rig, trevalll and school shark. » v r

Mr Moyle said the Government’s policy had been designed to correct the serious problem of overfishing inshore while ensuring that those who stayed in the industry could do so with some assurance of tttie. future.