Anyone else hearing the commercial quota doubled for SNA7 ? 

Haven't heard of it, but would be consistent with our current governments processes if true - Trumpet to the world how they are going to rebuild the blue cod stocks by reducing the commercial fishing pressure and then very quietly hand over the snapper stock for mass destruction and hope no one notices. Or is that just the cynic in me?

In Australia a fishery is closed when bio mass reaches the very low point of 20-30%. as a fishery is then deemed in risk of collapse ,or so i have heard.

What happens here.!

Consider Tasman Bay snapper. Once a great fishery. During the 1970s spotter planes saw schools of large spawning snapper estimated at 2000 T. With the aid of the big boats the fishery was laid low within 5 years.
And now with a glimmer of recovery they want to start at it all over again.
Some have said MPI are asleep at the wheel. But they dont seem to be asleep when it comes to increasing quota.

Derek F wrote: And we went from positive reports and access to a recovered scallop fishery last year, to cleaned out and closed this year....how stupid is that?

Minister states fishery is still below target level,and he would like to build to optimum level. Perhaps he could explain what those differing terms actually mean.
So while being below target and wishing to achieve optimum level he chooses quota increase to achieve this.
So clearly less fish equates to rebuild. Dont think so.
He then talks about robust science but fails to explain exactly the details of Robust science.
All very vague.
However we are told it is the ministers decision. Is it really.?

Look at the other side,historical perspective.
Fishery fell from 23000T ,estimated,to less than 1600 T by late 1980s. Rebuild since then has been painfully slow. Virtually a whole generation has missed out.
Niwa stated genetic diversity has been lost following the overfishing in what they describe as a small isolated snapper fishery.

Commercial,or should we say Govt,or both, had their chance when they destroyed the fishery during the 1970s.. They have had their go, they goofed it, nearly destroyed the fishery in the process. 
There never should have been a quota increase.

Now it should be the turn of the other 99% of fishers to have their day in the sun.