Mainland Catch – self-reporting app

Fish Mainland recognises the first step towards improving the management of recreational fishing is better data on catch and effort. The best source of data is recreational fishers.

The benefit for fishers is that better data informs management decision-making. In other words, the benefit is in providing a basis for action or a recommendation to improve fisheries that are important to recreational fishers. Better data may also provide a basis for reducing environment impacts that benefit all fishing sectors.

With the financial support of MPI’s Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures and the Myers Foundation Trust, Fish Mainland has collaborated with the Nelson-based Plink Software Ltd to develop a recreational fisher self-reporting system first applied to the South Island blue cod fishery.

The data is collected via a mobile app, appropriately named Mainland Catch. It is an intuitive and simple app for fishers to use on their fishing trips. A single person can record data for all members of a fishing group.

While data reporting is aggregated to show blue cod caught by area, fishers’ personal data is not made available to the public.

Recently Fish Mainland released Mainland Catch to its members, South Island fishing clubs and other recreational fishing-related groups. Mainland Catch is now available to the wider South Island recreational fishing sector.

Mainland Catch is now available on the Apple Appstore and Google Play for Android:

https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/mainland-catch/id1569718654

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.co.plink.ika

There are also two videos that demonstrate how easy it is to use Mainland Catch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hLcBdujLC0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT4-Or0Hrn8

We are currently working with Plink Software to expand Mainland Catch to include other fisheries that are important to South Island recreational fishers.

Plink Software is also enhancing Mainland Catch to be displayed in Te Reo Māori or Te Reo Māori (Ngāi Tahu Dialect) in addition to English.