Hi Guys,
Here is an extract out of the NZ Herald Page A11 from 21/11/02
It goes
Oyster cleanup bill $2.5M
Cleaning up an "enviromental mess" from Bay of Islands oyster farms could cost $2.5 million and take more than 18 months.
The proposed purging of the Waikare Inlet involves removing and destroying oysters from 11 farms covering 60ha.
Nearly 7.5 million oysters, 40,000 growing sticks and 29,000 netting bags must be dug out of themud and disposed of, says a report commissioned by the Northland Regional Council.
The waikare Inlet oyster farms were closed by health authorities last August after a gastroenteritis virus was found in oysters from the area.
waikare oysters have since outgrown their structures, causing the farms to collapse into the mud and build up on the sea floor.
I have several questions on this.
1 Who is paying for the cleanup ?
2 Are the companies that appear to have abandoned these farms to the elements part of the 160 odd applications currently up for approval for Aquaculture ?
3 Is this really what we want for the future of our sheltered waterways ?
These farms only cover 60ha. Some of the ones in the pipeline now are 800ha. I for one say that we can well do without them.
As for the statement that we will benefit from fishing beside the farms. who needs it. What about all the fish eggs that large concentrations of filter feeders remove from the food chain. Thats the future baitfish that the fish we target feed on.
Thanks but no thanks. I dont need this to 'enhance' my fishing.
Cheers
odin
Hmm, very good point.
Under the RMA it usually the polluter who cleans up messes.
The overwhelming silence your post has met with, would however suggest otherwise?
There is a communication problem with fisheries in NZ. Recreational fishers moan to each other and play chinese whispers about the bad guys, whilst the commercial boys write to each other in their own trade magaines, but don't seem to be getting any info out to the general public to address the public's main concerns. This does not do them any good.
I choose the positive view; that there are people doing good things in the industry, despite a few bad eggs. But it's taking a bit of faith in the light of limited information. I wish SEAFIC would publish more info on common concerns of the recreational fishers (kingfish, scallop dredging, snapper populations, etc). Until they do, they are conspicuous by their silence. Of course their info should be freely available and widely published. Who knows, it may even increase their sales locally? Or, would it incriminate them?
Or, does NZRFC get the info from the meetings they go to and not pass it on to any of us? How can recreational fishers in general get access to the info that NZRFC receives on these issues?
Just a few thoughts..
Reidfish
'There is a communication problem with fisheries in NZ.'
What a simple statement that in my view, having only just started taking more than a superficial interest in all this, is at the heart of a lot of angst. It would appear to me that a lot of opinion is formed on very little evidence. There is very little 'evidence' around, and what there is is suitably 'spun' by whoever was paid to produce it - you wouldn't pay them if it wasn't 'spun' would you? A lot of this is then hidden so it is not easily found. I am making a big effort to think evil of no one until there is ample proof to do so - this is proving to be a hard road to follow as there is very little to base opinions on as Mr Reidfish has pointed out. BUT - so far I believe that most fisheries legislation is not evil and it is painted in a malodorous light by the few breaking rules that are adhered to by the majority. I hope I am open minded enough to be prepared to change that view as and when evidence comes my way. In the meantime I will continue reading and listening as much as possible and saying as little as possible.
obald
Tasman and Golden Bay snapper still running hot We are not far away from daylight... Read More >
Variety is the spice of life On one recent trip, the plan was to spend a... Read More >
Fish where the fish are! Catching fish or just going fishing? I tackle this issue... Read More >
Thoughtful tactics required for better fish Over the course of each year the fishing varies,... Read More >