Review of Sustainability Measures for Blue Cod (BCO 5) for 2020/21
Introduction
Fish Mainland is a recently incorporated not-for-profit organisation designed by a Working Group comprising South Island and Stewart Island recreational fishers. They designed it to be a fully functioning professional organisation that coordinates, represents and promotes the diverse interests of the 100,000+ fishers who fish in the marine environment, and works to restore and sustain fisheries resources to maximise fishers’ experiences and opportunities.
Fish Mainland is a Member-based organisation. The Members have democratic control over the organisation through the power to nominate, elect and remove five Regional Directors of the Board. Also, the South Island Mandated Iwi Organisations can appoint and remove two other Directors. The Board appoints two more Directors and an independent Chair of the Board.
Elected and appointed Directors of the Board demonstrate Fish Mainland’s mandate to represent recreational fishers in the South Island and Stewart Island. The election and appointments of Directors will occur soon.
Accordingly, this submission is made without any mandate to represent. However, it does reflect what the Working Group, as acting Directors, considers is aligned with the views of the majority of South Island and Stewart Island fishers. It is also aligned with the views of the Fiordland Marine Guardians.
Submission
Fish Mainland supports Option 3 that sets the TAC at 825 tonnes, TACC at 700 tonnes, customary allowance at 20 tonnes, recreational allowance at 85 tonnes and allowance for other sources of fishing related mortality unchanged at 20 tonnes.
We consider this more cautious option best addresses the downward trend in the commercial fishery (e.g. catch rate below the TACC) and considers changes in fishing patterns not captured in the stock assessment.
Fish Mainland also supports examining a rebuild rule to improve management responsiveness. Like the Fiordland Guardians, we acknowledge the shared nature of this important and iconic fishery, and recreational fishers’ recent contributions to rebuilding it (e.g. daily bag limit reductions). It follows that all fishing sectors should collaborate in examining other efforts for rebuilding the fishery, including a more adaptive approach to setting the TAC.
Yours sincerely,
James Crossland
Acting Chair of the Board
