Southland fishers back proposed 'rebuild' of blue cod fishery

Tuesday, 2 June 2020

Recreational and commercial fishing rules for blue cod is set to change to improve the sustainability of the fishery.

An organisation representing commercial blue cod fishermen in Southland has backed Fisheries New Zealand's plan to ''rebuild'' the blue cod fishery.

That's despite an expected financial loss to commercial fisheries.

Fisheries NZ has introduced the rebuild plan as part of the sustainability and catch-limit review which is currently under consultation.

The rebuild plan under consultation proposes a commercial blue cod catch reduction from 1239 to 874 tonnes per annum.

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It's estimated the changes will result in an $890,000 annual loss in revenue for commercial fishers, but the changes are expected to improve the fishery.

The BCO5 Association, which represents commercial blue cod fishermen in Southland, has endorsed Fisheries New Zealand's proposed “rebuild plan” for the southern blue cod fishery.

BCO5 Association chairman Bill Smellie said he was comfortable with a reduction in commercial catch limits, providing the rebuild management procedure was also in place.

Scientific modelling showed that with a 30 percent catch reduction the fishery would rebound positively within two to four years, Smellie said.

'Commercial blue cod catch limits should be able to quickly respond to changes in the fishery.

“Our blue cod are nearly all caught by potting, same as for rock lobster. Given the success of the rock lobster rebuild plan in Southland, we expect similar positive results for our fishery,” Smellie said.

It was expected the proposed changes would not affect the availability or price of blue cod in fish shops, Smellie said.

From 1 July 2020, the minimum catch size of blue cod will be standardised to 33cm across most areas except in the upper North Island.

The minimum pot mesh size for blue cod will change to 54mm, and a measure is known as “the traffic light system” will be used to indicate the daily bag limit for different areas.

Director Fisheries Management Emma Taylor says blue cod is an iconic fish species for New Zealanders, and its popularity has led to overfishing in some parts of the country.

“These new rules are to address localised overfishing, particularly in parts of the South Island, where most blue cod are caught.”

“Standardising to the legal minimum size of blue cod to 33cm will contribute to improving the productivity of blue cod populations by allowing the fish to grow to a larger size and giving them a greater chance to breed.

''This size limit is already in place for commercial fishers and recreational fishers in many areas.”