b"Recreational fishing is important Feature to hundreds of thousands of Kiwis, such as Jack Lusk's son, beaming with his catch.To add to the chaos, Fisheries NewBUT WAIT WEVE BEENSeven years on, the reality is bleak. Zealand is also considering how twoHERE BEFORE? Crayfish populations have shown crayfish stocks on the east coast ofHistorically, LegaSea and the Newlittle to no recovery in the Hauraki the North Island ought to be managed.Zealand Sport Fishing CouncilGulf and east coast of Northland.The two stocks are Crayfish 2 (CRA 2)have been quick to offer voluntaryIts crazy to think that just Te Arai Point to East Cape, and CRA 4,reductions to daily bag limits, onover 6 months ago, Fisheries Hawkes Bay to Titahi Bay, Wellington. the basis that it would help rebuildNew Zealand was proposing to A high management target woulddecimated fisheries. In the summerincrease commercial catch limits mean cuts to catch levels to enableof 2019, we voluntarily agreed tofor crayfish in the CRA 2 area. the fish stock to grow. A lowerhalve the recreational bag limit inDespite there being areas of known management target may mean cutsthe CRA 2 area from 6 to 3, givingdepletion across the fishery.to catch levels for a shorter periodthe fishery a chance to recover of time. Management targets tendfor our future generations. STAND UP FOR OUR CRAYFISHto be complex. Our team is digestingIn 2020, we welcomed then- At present, there is no detailed this information and will let youMinister Stuart Nashs decisioninformation estimating crayfish know our thoughts in due course. to formally lock in that reduction. abundance across the upper east 48FISHING IN GODZONE MAGAZINE"