It beggars belief that this Labour led coalition, which only governs with a paper thin majority and already has trouble singing from the same song sheet should be deranged enough to now want to alienate 100000 trout and salmon anglers with its toxic amendments to the Conservation Act, the most obnoxious of them are outlined below:

· Clause 6 exempts anyone authorised under Treaty settlement legislation from restrictions on taking, possessing or selling sportsfish.

· Clause 6 allows the Crown and iwi to set aside present rules as part of a treaty settlement.

· Clause 6 allows the removal of present bans on the sale of fishing rights.

· Clause 6 allows the removal of present bans on the sale of sports fish.

· Clause 6 removes the requirement for occupiers of land to comply with trout fishing rules and regulations, although they would still need a licence.  

· Clause 6 opens up the potential for direct conflict between Treaty settlement legislation and sports fishing.

While this bill, promoted by Green Party Conservation Minister Eugene Sage, claims to protect native fish it does so by demonising trout and salmon (and by association Fish and Game, which manages these sport fisheries) as the prime threat to native fish survival.   However, it is quite ironic that this coalition now targets trout as pest fish while still allowing the commercial slaughter of whitebait and eels and the ongoing destruction of aquatic wildlife habitats.  Reading clause 6 and some other clauses it is quite clear that this coalition has chosen that the best way to destroy trout and salmon is to destroy Fish and Game Councils that are the statutory managers of the publicly owned fresh water fish and game resource.  Part of this multi prong attack on F&G is to designate trout and salmon as bargaining chips for treaty settlement.  Let me remind these Green Party Morris Dancers that F&G has already championed the fight for clean rivers, water conservation orders and protection of wetlands when the Founder Greenies were still stoned on dope at their Coromandel communes.  Over several decades F&G license holders have spent millions on publicity and court action to protect our precious lakes and rivers.  License-holder stats show that of the 100000 plus anglers the vast majority are men and many of them are in their second half of life.  Only a self deluded administration would assail