Fears west coast snapper catch increase 'rushed' after 16 years of protection

Sunday, 1 August 2021

The SNA 8 proposal comes after snapper populations have bounced back to around 54 per cent after they were almost trawled to extinction during the 1970s and 1980s.

It was trawled to near extinction in the 1980s, and now commercial fisheries are lining up for more.

A proposal to significantly increase the snapper commercial catch limit off the west coast of the North Island is due to be decided on in September.

Left almost untouched for 16 years, snapper populations in New Zealand's second largest fishery have made a remarkable comeback due to trawling protection zones, to the point where scientists say it can handle increased fishing.

But Kāwhia, Raglan and Port Waikato locals argue it’s too soon to bump the quota back up – calling for further studies on the impact a reduced number of snapper could have on the whole ecosystem.

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“My biggest concern is that the science hasn’t been done on why it’s taken 40 years for our snapper populations to come back,” Raglan Sport Fishing Club president Ken Barry told Stuff.

Raglan Sport Fishing Club president Ken Barry would like to see all species of fish on west coast, maintain a biomass of 50 or 60 per cent.

Earlier this year Barry – also a representative on the New Zealand Sports Fishing Council – sent letters to David Parker, Ocean and Fisheries Minister, and Juliet Gerrard, Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, requesting an in-depth survey of all species on the west coast.

He didn’t receive a response.

“Until we know the exact condition of the fishery, we shouldn’t be making calls like this.

“Let’s not rush into anything. Let's make sure we’ve got this fishery right, because it’s the only fishery at the moment at a level that’s OK.”

The fishery - SNA 8 - covering waters from North Cape to Kāpiti, peaked during the 1960s through to the 1990s.

During that time, Barry remembers commercial fishermen would only bring in close to 40cm snapper.

The ones that weren’t that size would be dumped over the side.

“Commercial guys really smashed the area out here. There was so much waste.

“New Zealand wasn’t actually a big enough market to eat it all, so they weren’t going to bother with something they couldn’t get top dollar for.”

This waste, combined with bottom pair trawling and the presence of foreign vessels coming in for their share of catch, resulted in a population collapse.

By the time snapper was introduced into the Quota Management System in 1986 the population was at 7 per cent of its estimated original size before industrial fishing began.

In 1986 the initial Total Allowable Commercial Catch was set at 1330 tonnes. By 1989 it had increased to 1594 tonnes, then decreased to 1500 tonnes in 1992 and the current 1300 tonnes in 2005.

As a result of the depletion, the west coast received the first trawling ban.

Around 90 percent of snapper spawn comes from Kāwhia Harbour.

Those protection areas were later extended out four nautical miles from Maunganui Bluff to Waiwhakaiho River in New Plymouth in 2005 in order to protect māui dolphins, a significantly endangered species at the time.

Years of reduced commercial catching and bottom trawling exclusion zones have slowly brought snapper populations back to about 54 per cent decades on.

Angeline Greensil, however, says this was not out of good management.

As the chairwoman of Ngā Hapū o te Uru, a forum that represents Tainui hapū along the coast, Greensil said it’s only due to a lack of trawling that species have been able to recover.

“The quota management has gone up and down like a yo-yo in this area for years,” Greensill said.

Chairwoman Angeline Greensill said Ngā Hapū o te Uru was born out of the need to protect customary fishing.

“Now they want to put it back up again.”

She said this proposal is based off a lot of scientific “uncertainty” and due to the west coast’s tumultuous past, MPI should be treading more carefully.

“One of the flaws in the quota management system is that they look at one particular species and decide that they will increase the total allowable catch for this species, but that’s not how an ecosystem works.

“Fish like hapuka, trevally, tarakihi and gurnard, which is a species that doesn’t have a catch limit, often swim with snapper.

“We don’t have comprehensive research on their populations.”

Trawling is prohibited in many areas within SNA 8, including harbours and estuaries, and Māui dolphin habitat. This protects large areas of inshore marine space from impacts from trawling (file photo).

She said the combination of more recreational fishermen coming over from the east coast’s depleted waters and more commercial fishermen, will put too much pressure on the moana.

“It will become open slather for anyone who wants to take snapper.”

Fisheries New Zealand is proposing four options: a 23 percent increase to 3,065 tonnes, 50 percent to 3,437 tonnes, 75 percent increase to 3,794 tonnes or a doubling to 4,152.

It is also proposing an increase of 57 tonnes (133 per cent) to the customary allowance and an increase of 893 tonnes (286 per cent) to the recreational allowance.

Fisheries management director Emma Taylor said staff began making contact with tangata whenua and stakeholders a year ago.

Scientific stock assessment in 2020/21 finding an increase in snapper in the fishery, prompted the proposal, she said.

A stock assessment model projection, that took into account the impact that commercial fishing has on stock ,was used to look into the feasibility of an increase in the total commercial catch.

“Under all of the proposed options the fishery is projected to maintain above the current stock status,” Taylor said.

However, she said there is “flexibility” built in the Quota Management System.

“If future assessments suggest the fishery requires more restrictions, they will consider that information alongside feedback from the community.”

This includes also monitoring other species, including gurnard, she said.

“We are aware of the interlinked nature of species in the fishery.

“If sustainability risks are identified, we will review the settings for the fishery again and adjust them accordingly.

“As part of this review, we also consulted on proposals for the gurnard fishery (GUR 1) which include options to decrease the commercial catch (TACC) and set a total allowable catch (TAC) and allowances.

With submissions on the proposals now closed, staff are working through the feedback to provide advice to the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries for his consideration.

More than 10,000 submissions have been received, “with a strong response from people about the snapper 8 fishery,” Taylor said.

A decision is expected to be made by late-September, and any changes will come into effect at the beginning of the fishing year in October.