I whakaputahia tēnei ātikara e RNZ.
The Oceans and Fisheries under-secretary has met with iwi and the local board on Aotea/Great Barrier Island.
It is feared that overfishing has decimated the kōura population, and Ngāti Rehua - Ngātiwai ki Aotea Trust Board and the Aotea/Great Barrier Local Board are wanting the government to back a plan to manage the population before it is too late.
RNZ reported that the team behind the Tai Tū Moana conservation project expected to meet with Jenny Marcroft soon.
Marcroft confirmed to RNZ that she travelled to Aotea/Great Barrier Island earlier in April.
“It was a very productive meeting,” she said.
Tai Tū Moana Steering Group member Glenn Edney wanted the government to implement a set of local rules devised during a pilot project called Ahu Moana. That included lowering the daily bag limit of Spiny Red Rock Lobster and the Packhorse Rock Lobster to two, a ban on daily bag limit accumulation, introducing a maximum size limit, having a closed mating season, and several recreational only areas.
“They’re seeing an increased pressure on the crayfish resource,” Marcroft said.
Marcroft said officials would be looking at each of those, and where they aligned, “where it’s through a Section 186A closure, which is iwi-led, or whether it comes in under Section 11 of the Fisheries Act.”
While she said she would be feeding into the advice given to the Oceans and Fisheries Minister, Marcroft said it would be up to Shane Jones to make any decision.
“I met with them towards the end of last week - just to go over, making sure we’ve captured all the information from the discussions we had on the island, and then that work will continue to be done until those recommendations come forward for the Minister.”
Marcroft said it was a “specific request for the uniqueness of Aotea/Great Barrier.”
“They are leading work. They all care about sustainability, including the commercial fishers that live on the island, as well.
“What I really liked about the meeting was the respect that was shown for each of the groups amongst themselves. It was really good.
“There wasn’t a, you know, we know that the recreational fishing space can get quite heated - people are very passionate about being able to fish - and what I saw was working collaboratively together, showing respect. It was very refreshing.”
Nā Pretoria Gordon nō RNZ.
