Got this in an e mail this morning 




Reporting game fish catches of Pacific Bluefin Tuna and Southern bluefin tuna aboard charter vessels during 2007 and 2008.

Dear Charter boat Skipper/Operator

We need your help to review the recreational allowance for Pacific bluefin tuna and to make a viable and sustainable world class game fishery for this species in New Zealand waters.

The Marine Transport Association and the Ministry of Fisheries are proposing that charter boat operators/skippers report their catches (both landed and released) of bluefin tuna during the 2007 and 2008 West Coast fishing seasons.  The proposal is that each charter vessel operator reports the number of fish and individual weights (including those released) after each fishing trip.

Reviewing the recreational allowance
This project is very important for bluefin tuna, particularly Pacific bluefin.  With the development of a new fishery off the West Coast of the South Island the current recreational allowance for the stock may be inadequate.  There is a need for better information in order to consider whether to review it. MFish, the NZ Marine Research Foundation along with Stanford University is committed to satellite tagging Pacific bluefin tuna caught by charter vessels fishing the West Coast.  Successful tagging and data retrieval was carried out last season and again this year.

Commitment to bluefin
Reporting and satellite-tagging reinforces the charter boat industry, Game fisher, and Government interest in making a long term management commitment to bluefin tuna.  Game fish catch records are important for documenting New Zealand�s ability to monitor its bluefin fishery prior to more active international management controls.  These assist in achieving an objective to develop a viable and sustainable world class game fishery for bluefin tuna in New Zealand waters.

Managing bluefin
Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) and Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)) occur throughout Pacific waters.  Under the Law of the Sea, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) are tasked with ensuring the conservation and management of tuna and other highly migratory species throughout areas of jurisdiction.  RFMOs have set national catch limits for southern bluefin tuna, and requested member states such as New Zealand to exercise reasonable restraint of their fishing fleets when fishing Pacific bluefin tuna.  

The New Zealand approach to implementing national catch limits or achieving reasonable restraint was to introduce both stocks into the Quota Management System in 2004.  At that time the following catch limits and allowances were set for each species of bluefin tuna in tonnes:
 
                                                 Pacific bluefin    Southern bluefin
Total Allowable Catch                         120                  420
Recreational allowance                         1                       4
Customary allowance                          0.5                      1
Fishing related incidental mortality      2.5                      2
Total Allowable Commercial Catch       116                   413

An expanding game fishery
However since that time catches of Pacific bluefin are likely to have increased substantially.  The potential for an off season game fishery of world class status has not been lost on the New Zealand charter boat fleet.  Recreational magazines articles and television programmes depict a rapidly developing charter based fishery off the West Coast South Island (base ports Greymouth/Westport) since 2005. 

Anecdotal information suggests up to 100 bluefin were taken by game fishing and spear fishing on the west coast during winter 2006, however it is unknown how many of each species were landed or how many were released alive. 

NZ�s international obligations
International obligations are likely to require more active management of Pacific bluefin in the future. National catch limits have already been imposed on the Southern bluefin fishery.  New Zealand will be required to monitor these fisheries during the next couple of seasons. The New Zealand game fishery is based on trophy sized fish, so there is considerable incentive in ensuring these fisheries are well managed.

How reporting will work
The Marine Transport Association and MFish are proposing a web based system for monitoring game fish catches of bluefin tuna.  Discussions held with the South Island Recreational Forum during May and at the Recreational Fishing Conference during July recommended that any system be kept as simple as possible.  Concern was expressed about using data for purposes other than for counting fish.  To address these concerns this proposal is designed to record only the catch, and release of fish.  No effort data will be collected. 

Charter vessel operators are asked to email, phone or fax through the number of fish and individual weights (including estimated weights of those fish released) as soon as practical after each fishing trip to me (my contact details are listed below).

Summary results will be displayed in the following simple to read format on the MFish website (www. fish.govt.nz).   


 (Preliminary data as at 25 August for the 2007 West Coast season)


                 Pacific bluefin tuna                    Southern bluefin tuna
                      Landed    Released           Landed    Released
Number              8             34                        2                 ?
Weight (kg)    1,916             ?                     240                ?


If you have any questions, wish to discuss the matters outlined above, or provide data do not hesitate to contact me:

Graeme McGregor
Senior Fisheries Advisor
Ministry of Fisheries
Phone 09 820 7689, fax 09 820 1980, or email [email protected]

It would be interesting if they had what the spend was for each recreational catch as well.  I think there'd be some biiiiiig numbers there. 
   Maybe if we tag 50% fo them they'll make them a rec only fish!

Call me a cynic but Mfish don't exactly have a good track record of managing "sustainable world class game fisheries". Take Broadbill for example. Not to mention the fact that we've had to sue them to get a fair hearing on Kahawai, our most accesible game fish.  Watch this space and don't be surprised if the data collected isn't used to impose catch limits on rec fishers. Until I hear them state that they value the recreational qualities of these fish ahead of the commercial value, I don't trust them at all.

Isn't it ironice that the future sustainability / viability of the Bluefin game fishery is probably closely linked to the viability of the Hoki fishery. I don't need to point out what a mess that is in or who "manages" it.

Say the fish average 250kg, therefore 1 tonne = 4 fish for the rec's doesnt it? And 464 for the comm's?  (for the pacific blue fin)

I don't think that this battle will be quite as bad as others.  If you look at the catch records against the QMS, you notice that the commercial guys haven't taken more than 67 tones (2005) and often way less.  Even these documents recognise that the recreational take has taken off massively in the last couple of years and now they're trying to get accurate data on how much.
    The Northern Bluefin is managed strictly in America even for rec fisho's with licenses etc and that might happen here.   As long as there's some to be caught and I can catch one, I'll be a happy man!
    Cheers
          DA
TACC and stats from
source:http://services.fish.govt.nz/fishresourcespublic/Plenary2007/TOR_07.pdf

 Tipical of mof . Look at the % of catch allowed for the recreational fisher.

go the badger

Good read Glen.....that's a bummer mate..........would you go back next year for another crack at them?

talked to reel passion today the fish have gone the trawlers have finished.