Uh Huhhhh.

Well the rape and pillage of the ocean has its consequences mate. Too many for too long.

There's no way mother earth can catch up.

Keep New Zealand waters for NZ fisherman\ fisherwoman, commerial and recreational.

It's all the other foreign factory ships doing the most damage. Billon dollar industry they say, who for? Won't be when it's fu?ked.

this is true to a degree guys,however if the commpanies cannot catch their quota ,they have to lease it out to forgien boats to fill it.if this is not done they have to pay an excess levy which results in lost profit and reduced quota for following season.

So MarlinSpike.....you are saying that commercial quotas are set way to high and should be reduced? How many other commercial guys feel the same way?

Hmmmm, interesting.  I've just been arguing that trying to keep stocks at Bmsy (20-30% virgin biomass) is not always a good idea and may not prove to be sustainable, and there you have it, anectdotal evidence that yet another fishery has not been maintained at that level, suggesting the science was wrong, the sustainable level was not sustainable, or that there is something going on we do not understand that makes the catch limits unsustainable.  

Manage the fisheries above Bmsy. We don't want the seas to be 80% empty. The Fisheries Act allows the stocks to be managed AT OR ABOVE Bmsy.  Pressure the minster to just go ahead and do it!

That's bloody sad if they are selling quota they haven't caught, it's good to hear from someone in the know.

It's alittle like coastle shipping, the goverment got it's head in the sand.

Here's my "Hook Tax" idea again. Not really relevant to a commercial interest only fishery like the Ross Sea but could it work closer to home?

Cut commercial quota by 1/3. Cut recreational quota by 1/3. To pay out all the commercial guys who go belly up due to a third of the income being lost we introduce a "Hook Tax" on every pack of fish hooks. Lets say 5c a pack. Who is gonna care about 5c these days. With this residual income from the hook tax we can pay out the loss of income and in the same step we have all made an investment in the preservation of NZ inshore fishery. Now some will bleat that 6 Snapper is not enough per day per angler when in reality 12 fillets of Snapper should provide a reasonable feed for most families.

Ok- shoot me down.

Damian 

Quote: Originally posted by marlin spike on 17 June 2004

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all of the fish are caught in newzealand waters,however the point i am trying to get at is that the nz fleet are leasing part of their quota to overseas vessels in order to help catch their total allowable catch.(TAC)the past couple of seasons have seen diminishing catches from the nz vessels,so in order of helping fill up the quota, forgein vessels are charted to nz company. remember if you dont fill your quota extra fee and reduced (TAC)for following season

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• Man this seems like loonacy to me punish the commercial fleet if they dont plunder as hard as the ministry wants them to,and if they do they get it in the ear from the recreational guys..........Mate i sympathise with you marlin spike you cats cant win and in the end every body loses cause the fishery is getting all used up.Beaurocracy has a lot to answer too
• Damien thats a GOOD idea i reckon ,6 is easily enough for rec guys..

 what a shocking situation. Levying operations who do not have the means to meet their quota....... effectively forcing them to employ back-up to meet targets for a dwindling resource.

What a Crock, so when a resource collapses, not only do the operations go out of business but they are levied by the Govt to get out.

Wonder how many operations would take the opportunity to cash up if the Govt was to waive the levy, and then not reissue the quota...... 

how about someone writing a letter to the Herald and tell them what the hell is happening.... this is totally unacceptable.....

if you have to get outside help to catch the few last remaining fish that are left because your boats are not catching enough anymore......

then way the hell are we sitting here reading and writing this and not doing something about it???????

surely we can threaten the Government with exposure or something i do think  the time is right to do something now as fishos are already threatened with reserves and are being blamed for the lack of fish in the sea........ 

the reserves to me anyway are a escape root for what the Government is not doing for our fish stocks.......

Don't forget the industry wants more self-governance. There is absolutely nothing stopping the fishermen sitting down and working out that they can all agree to catch less. That means less money this year, and may well mean less quota next year, but if they catch less this year they may be able to catch something at least next year.  The paua quota holders have shelved quota by consensus, why can't the orange roughy fishers?  Maybe it is because letting SEAFIC members or whoever manage a fishery is like letting a child mollester run a primary school. 

I wonder how many scientists said the current level of quota is sustainable? And who paid for that research?  If this year has been a disaster, it proves we do not know enough about the fishery to be managing it at the intended stock level that we are.  some parts of the fishing industry need to get with the program.

they are out surveying orange roughy with a depth sounder now.  Amazing. 

Trying to find every last one of them. When they are all gone, we will know how many there were, and how many there are not.

Oh dear, that sounds a bit cynical, doesn't it?  Sorry about that.

I should have said they are finding out how many there are so they can manage them better THIS TIME, because THIS TIME the scientists are surely right...

Quote: Originally posted by Reidfish on 18 June 2004

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Oh dear, that sounds a bit cynical, doesn't it?  Sorry about that.

I should have said they are finding out how many there are so they can manage them better THIS TIME, because THIS TIME the scientists are surely right...

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 You're right Reidfish, with the technology we now possess, how could they possibly be wrong?

Bloody Govt has a lot to answer for

Damian sorry I can't wear the compensation angle. I have been in business for over 20 years, some good some bad , no handouts for me ever.Also how long would we carry that on? As for a hook tax, what about divers, netters etc.

I like your thinking but truthfully the money they collect now from us in tax is horrendous, the answer is to be realists, if the fish stocks are low we must stop killing them in such great numbers

my 2 cents

You are on to something Lethal. I'm into Photoshop now.....

It could be a good time to remind everyone, although I will probably start a separate thread, I get a whole hour with the minister next Friday. Send your questions through. Maybe I should start by copying this one and asking him for a please explain....