A note sent to my MP re commercial scalloper

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    Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 12:29pm
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I received a PR email from our local (National) MP this morning. Some here might be interested in the note I sent back:

"Hi Jami-Lee

For me all the boohaha about a book was drowned out this weekend by the sound of scallop dredge boats. Let me explain as concisely as I can.

We have a family holiday home on the Coromandel. Some years ago it was always a simple matter to get off the beach in a small boat and dive for 20 scallops. A serious northerly storm would see truckloads of them washed up on the beach for the seagulls to feast on after the locals had taken what they needed. Now they're not there in anywhere near the same quantities.

Why is this? Now I'm no scientist and I haven't researched a thesis on the subject but recent years have seen the size limit reduced for commercial fishers. They have to be at least 100 mm for my son and I to take while selectively gathering them by hand and we can't even take them to the surface to count and measure, That all has to done on the bottom. Meanwhile these businesses can gouge up significant areas of the seabed and take them at 90mm. If that wasn't enough of a handicap, the businesses can start taking them before we can - our season doesn't start until 1 September.

And the sound this weekend? There wasn't one commercial scallop vessel dredging off the beach on Sunday - there were five. They started at first light and were still going when we left for home in the afternoon. They seemed to be systematically covering the area in what search and rescue volunteers would call a creeping line ahead pattern. In terms of covering the area It's unlikely you would be any more precise with the vacuum cleaner in your lounge after a big night. I have regularly witnessed this "sustainable and environmentally responsible approach" from the commercial businesses off our beach for the last few years.

I think it is reasonable for me to draw the conclusion that there is a link between the decline of scallops available for the recreational person in the area and the advantageous situation the government has created for the commercial sector.

This coupled with your government's decision last year to increase the minimum size and reduce the bag limit for recreational snapper while leaving the commercial businesses alone points towards a government that clearly places the values of commercial fishing interests before the man on the street.

I'm not sure if I'm prepared to vote on one issue alone but it's certainly got me looking at the smaller fringe parties a lot more closely than I ever have before.

Just thought you might be interested..."
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote cirrus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 12:33pm
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Well done ,good letter. Eventually the penny might drop for these incumbent pollies.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Raging Bull Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 1:36pm
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Very well said. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Tagit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 3:14pm
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I think a lot of the scallop depletion is due to the governments crazy decision in 2012 to lift the TACC from 22 tonnes to 315 tonnes Supposedly the commercial boats would fish this massive wonder stock that they found deep in the gulf. Of course there are lots of scallops closer to home that don't involve travelling all that way, so first you rape all the close areas before the rec fisherman can take any when their season starts, and then you move into the deep water areas where the rec fishermen can't access the beds easily. Why would you do anything different?
That's why the rec season for scallops in this area was one of the worst ever immediately after the said the stock was so abundant that they increase the commercial TACC by around 1500%. They couldn't even catch that volume, and the rape of the recreational beds was completely foreseeable, so this was just a totally ignorant bit of fisheries management. MPI at it's ludicrous best and our current government showing what it really thinks about recreational fishing.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote pjc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 3:23pm
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is there no commercial season?as it is out of season for reccreational?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Dagwood Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 3:32pm
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Originally posted by Tagit Tagit wrote:

I think a lot of the scallop depletion is due to the governments crazy decision in 2012 to lift the TACC from 22 tonnes to 315 tonnes Supposedly the commercial boats would fish this massive wonder stock that they found deep in the gulf. Of course there are lots of scallops closer to home that don't involve travelling all that way, so first you rape all the close areas before the rec fisherman can take any when their season starts, and then you move into the deep water areas where the rec fishermen can't access the beds easily. Why would you do anything different?
That's why the rec season for scallops in this area was one of the worst ever immediately after the said the stock was so abundant that they increase the commercial TACC by around 1500%. They couldn't even catch that volume, and the rape of the recreational beds was completely foreseeable, so this was just a totally ignorant bit of fisheries management. MPI at it's ludicrous best and our current government showing what it really thinks about recreational fishing.

I think you're probably right Tagit but I didn't have all the facts to hand and I wanted to keep it simple... Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Raging Bull Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 4:27pm
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A time lapse recording of those boats dredging up and down all day would make a great add for someone like legasea!

Last season was by far the worst for scallops that I have encountered, of the 4 spots that I know of close to home I was unable to get my limit of scallops on a full tank. Previous seasons I could go pop down, grab my scallops and then pop back up and go and look for a cray on the same tank. 

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Raging Bull Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 4:29pm
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Originally posted by pjc pjc wrote:

is there no commercial season?as it is out of season for reccreational?

The commercial season starts 1 month prior to the recreational season. So they get in and clean up before we get a chance to have a crack. Wont matter soon, there wont be any left.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Tagit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 4:39pm
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If you are a commercial scallop dredger and you know that you will catch all your TACC within a month or two anyway you don't need to go hard at all the beds. When our MPI idiots provide you with a few 100 tonnes of free extra quota that you couldn't catch in 3 seasons let alone one, you go hard all day, every day to fill your boots. End result is that all the close in beds are completely raped by the time the rec season gets under way. What part of that wasn't completely obvious when they dumped nearly 300 tonnes of extra quota into the TACC. Answer is that it was totally obvious, but they don't give a ****. Since they can't catch it all with the current boats, look for extra boats to come into the fleet and then when the fishery starts to collapse they will reduce the recreational bag limit to help it recover. Now where have I heard that story before?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Lethal Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2014 at 11:20pm
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area of concern http://www.fish.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/CEA4D9C8-FDDE-4FC3-AE1D-56DA40CE73CD/0/FAPCoromandelScallopFisheryinseasonTACreview.pdf

the Map clearly shows areas the Comms are not suppose to be dredging...

Light Blue is out of bounds is how i understand it..






Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Tagit Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Aug 2014 at 11:34pm
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The report that links to is just damning. A massive increase to commercial take and no real increase to recreational take. Some notional movement of the recreational total catch number, but no movement to allow any extra to be caught. Rec take is now less than 3% of the TAC for a species as recreationally valuable as Scallops. How on earth do MPI and the minister justify these types of decisions? More to the point, how do we get to hold these clowns accountable for what they do.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Steps Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Aug 2014 at 8:30am
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The principles that Tagit and others mention above, also applies to gulf, and in particular inner harbour  commercial fishing of all species, Gurnard, ky, snapper, crayfish.. even down to the bait fish.
Long lines across breeding grounds, gill nets around all the reefs.....
In spite of a industry 'recommendation' once 10% reject is met, move on and record so other commercial guys dont hit that area till recovered.....
And we all know that industry recommendations are usually the correct things to do...but at the same time gives the industry members a legal out to get as much as they can as cheap as they can.
If the industry reconises these essential requirements , then these should be adopted into law thru MPI regulations


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Originally posted by Tagit Tagit wrote:

If you are a commercial scallop dredger and you know that you will catch all your TACC within a month or two anyway you don't need to go hard at all the beds. When our MPI idiots provide you with a few 100 tonnes of free extra quota that you couldn't catch in 3 seasons let alone one, you go hard all day, every day to fill your boots. End result is that all the close in beds are completely raped by the time the rec season gets under way. What part of that wasn't completely obvious when they dumped nearly 300 tonnes of extra quota into the TACC. Answer is that it was totally obvious, but they don't give a ****. Since they can't catch it all with the current boats, look for extra boats to come into the fleet and then when the fishery starts to collapse they will reduce the recreational bag limit to help it recover. Now where have I heard that story before?


And do not forget the massive damage done to the sea bed.
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