Marine NZ

Date Posted: 26 Aug 2010 | 0 Comments

The Akaroa Harbour Marine Protection Society are the applicants of a small marine reserve (530ha) on the East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.  The application was made in 1996. 
On the 20th August 2010 the Hon Kate Wilkinson, Minister of Conservation declined the Akaroa marine reserve on the grounds that it will “adversely affect recreational fishing”.
To come to your own decision and review documents

The undue effect on rec fishers appears far from being justified. The interesting twist here is the ruling the judge gave in the Maori Land Court for the Taiapure hearing. He ruled that the MR would compliment the taiapure and the benefits were substantial. It seems incredulous that the MOC would ignore this significant ruling.

Another interesting twist in the rec fisher impact argument is that the Akaroa application (14years of documents) cover a time period in which the local shallow water fishery has all but collapsed. There is now no commercial fishing in Akaroa! This truly is a fight over the last fish. This is the backdrop to this decision - shallow habitats and fish communities in a state of decline/collapse. How can an impact on fishing then be an argument if fishing is buggered?

To come to your own decisions on this, review the following documents and to get involved:
Join the Forest and Bird Web blog http://blog.forestandbird.org.nz/sea-change-yeah-right/#more-1804

See Wade Doak’s discussion forum
http://www.wadedoak.com/_disc1/0000105e.htm

Posted in: New Zealand News •

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