January 20, 2021
Paul was a successful businessman who operated Paul’s Fishing Kites for 33 years, an inventor, a fisherman, and a conservationist. Paul and Peggy Barnes were the backbone of option4.co.nz. The 4 Principles that underpinned everything option4 stood for put us all on solid ground and made us safe to do the right thing. His advocacy […]
January 18, 2021
The past 12 months has been a rollercoaster ride for most of us, and on the fisheries front the year has been equally undulating. After a couple of ‘nearly there’ Coronavirus-interrupted moments we finally launched the Rescue Fish campaign in late May. What’s more, our New Zealand Sport Fishing Council fisheries team had a record-breaking […]
January 10, 2021
After an off-season of uncertainty, lockdowns and boat maintenance the rewards are taking family and friends out on the boat. There’s nothing quite like the squeals from kids as they hook up to their first fish, or the splutter as they see the underwater seascape for the first time. These good times depend on having […]
December 21, 2020
It can be quite scary when you realise that we don’t know much about what is happening at sea or the state of our fish stocks. That’s because there’s not enough onboard cameras or observers to monitor at-sea activity. What’s more, 56 percent of targeted fish stocks in the Quota Management System (QMS) have never […]
December 17, 2020
The decline in scallop numbers on the eastern side of Coromandel Peninsula has prompted Opito Bay locals to join forces and initiate a programme to restore stocks of the delicacy, starting with a survey to establish how many scallops actually remain in the Bay. The survey will be officially launched at a morning ceremony on […]
December 9, 2020
Fresh scallops are one of life’s pleasures, and if you gather them yourself there is untold satisfaction in sharing that kaimoana with your family and friends. The low numbers of scallops in many traditional gathering areas means people holidaying around the Coromandel Peninsula may miss out on a meal of scallops this summer. Reports from […]
December 2, 2020
Divers, divers everywhere, not a scallop to be seen. We’ve had some grim reports recently about the lack of scallops in Opito Bay, on the eastern seaboard of the Coromandel Peninsula and on the western side of the Peninsula. Sadly, these are not isolated cases of depletion. They represent further examples of poor management of […]
November 26, 2020
The response to the coronavirus threat is proof that our government can go hard and fast when they commit to protecting the interests of all New Zealanders. There are plenty of good reasons why the new government must act with the same haste and financial commitment to rebuild our depleted inshore fish stocks. The Quota […]
October 26, 2020
Calls are getting louder for 30 percent marine protected areas out to 200 nautical miles, including a network of no-take zones. There are major concerns with this set-and-forget strategy. Applying MPA fishing closures to some of our most productive areas will inevitably displace effort, intensifying depletion and biodiversity loss in the other 70% of the […]
September 25, 2020
“Before there were freezers, the fish were left in the ocean until they were needed.” An insightful comment from Dr Davianna Pomaika’i McGregor, director of the University of Hawaii’s Centre for Oral History. She has a deep interest in the indigenous Hawaiian ethos of only taking what you need. Closer to home Maori often express […]
