b'F ather Christmas orMaui dolphin, seabirds and othersupport of a more conservative rather Shane Jones, thespecies such as trevally, gurnard,catch increase of 250 tonnes and Minister for Oceans andJohn dory and tarakihi at risk. a review in three years time.Fisheries, has deliveredGiven that New Zealand is boundThe review is important a generous gift to quotaby international obligations tobecause the effects of more owners in the Snapper 8protect endangered species, thetrawling on other vulnerable fishery on the west coastprospect of increased trawlingspecies that are caught alongside of the North Island - a 640risks more frequent encounterssnapper must be monitored.tonne increase in commercial catch.with Maui dolphins that haveThe Ministers decision sends Meanwhile recreational fishers haverecently been sighted outsidea clear message to all of usif been left with coal in their stockings. of the trawl exclusion zone. theres more snapper on the west The new Snapper 8 Total AllowableShane Jones decision is far fromcoast they should be commercially Commercial Catch (TACC) is nowprecautionary when comparedharvested. But why is it so hard to an eye watering 2240 tonnes,to David Parkers brave move injust leave more fish in the water?thats over 2.2 million kilos of2021 to only increase the westIf the snapper populations along snapper that can be commerciallycoast snapper limit for commercialthe west coast are as abundant harvested every year. And, thefishing by 300 tonnes and reviewas officials suggest, we submitted majority of this catch will beit in three years. That decision hasthis would have been an ideal exported, leaving few benefits forcontributed to a healthier fisherytime to transition from bottom Kiwis hoping for a nutritious meal. today. Now the current Ministertrawling to more selective wants to fish it back down. methods such as longlining.TRAWLING THREATENS SEALIFE The majority of commercialLonglining is a more efficient Even with the Maui dolphin exclusionfishing interests supported themethod for catching the fish you zone, bottom trawling is still theexcessive increase proposed bywant while causing less damage primary form of commercial fishingFisheries NZ. Meanwhile, LegaSeato the seabed, when compared to on the west coast. The majorcollaborated with the New Zealandbottom trawling. And an abundant concern is that the TACC increaseSport Fishing Council and variousfishery means longlining can means more trawling, puttingother organisations to submit insustain family-owned businesses.With snapper populations along the west coast currently abundant, LegaSea submitted it is an ideal time to transition from bottom trawling to more selective methods like longlining. Photo credit: LegaSea /FISHINGINGODZONE33'