Fish stocks are plummeting!

A report is due from Fisheries Minister David Benson-Pope this week.  Species such as hoki our biggest export earner is still in decline even after the reduction in the total allowable catch and it is quite possible that recreational fishermen may face bag limit cuts.   The west coast snapper fishery have dropped to half the sustainable yield levels and it is unlikely that fishery will rebuild before 2018. Previous estimates were that the fishery would rebuild by 2007.

The grim facts
The report indicates:
* As little as 2 per cent of snapper are older than 10 years, compared with a quarter 20 years ago.
* Western stocks of hoki could be as low as 13 to 22 per cent of the original fishery - 20 per cent is the danger level for sustainable fishing.
* Southland oreo, worth $20.5 million in exports last year, are estimated to be at 30 per cent of original stock, and are projected to decline to 26 per cent in two more years.

For more information check out the herald article