NISBET'S VIEW

Press, 10 March 1987, Page 2

NISBET'S VIEW

Inshore trawlers ‘not fast enough to catch salmon’

Claims that trawlers have been depleting stocks of salmon near rivermouths have been disputed by a Lyttelton trawlerman and member of a committee investigating salmon fishing, Mr Barry Chant. Trawlers that had been seen near rivermouths were too slow to catch the fish although bigger vessels, up to 25 metres long, were catching more salmon than in past seasons in deep water because of their greater trawling speed, he said.

Salmon anglers have said that trawlers are “target fishing” which is illegal. Mr Chant said the fish caught were definitely a by-catch and most were caught up to 50km from rivermouths. A committee had been set up for all parties involved in salmon farming and fishing and an education programme to inform amateur anglers of what trawlers were doing near rivermouths was needed, he said. The president of the

Salmon Anglers’ Association, Mr Lindsay Dell, said the anger of some amateur fishermen would “boil over” if end of season returns showed bigger catches for trawlers than in past years. Stocks of salmon which had been built up during the last 75 years could be “decimated quickly” if steps were not taken to police that caught by trawlers more closely, he said. A spokesman for the Christchurch Fish Re-

tailers’ Association, Mr Mike Reitsma, said that abundant supplies of salmon were available for shops but there had not been a noticeably big influx this season. Most of the fish caught by trawlers was sent to Auckland or exported where demand was greater, he said. The Ministry of Fisheries has said it was concerned about the quantity caught by trawlers and would investigate to see if fish were targeted for catching.