The Environmental Defence Society (EDS) today lodged its submission on proposed sustainability measures for tarakihi stocks. The eastern stock is estimated to be just 7.7% of its unfished biomass, while the western stock is healthier at an estimated 29%, but is in rapid decline.
“Urgent action is needed to secure the long-term future of the tarakihi fishery, which is on the verge of collapse,” says EDS Policy Director Raewyn Peart.
“We don’t support any of Fisheries New Zealand’s proposed catch reduction options because they don’t go far enough. Even the most conservative option would still allow 1,115 tonnes of tarakihi to be harvested each year.
“Given the severely depleted state of the stocks, and the further reduction in productivity expected from ocean warming, EDS is calling for a complete closure of the fishery until the stocks recover.
“While a closure would have economic implications for fishers, those impacts would be far less severe than the consequences of a complete stock collapse.
“There has also been a significant loss of juvenile tarakihi habitat – the areas young fish need to survive to adulthood. Tasman Bay, for example, has historically been an important nursery area, but heavy bottom trawling has stripped it of sponges, corals and bryozoans.
“We support closing key nursery and juvenile aggregation areas and seek further protections for adult spawning aggregation areas.
“Tarakihi can currently be harvested before they reach breeding age, so we’re also asking for an increase in the minimum legal size to ensure fish have the opportunity to reproduce before they are caught.
“To better reflect the distribution of the eastern and western tarakihi stocks, which run along the east coast and west coast of the North and South Islands respectively, we support subdividing the TAR 1 and TAR 7 Quota Management Areas.
“This would remove the need for non-regulatory sub-area catch limits. There is strong evidence that voluntary measures have failed in this fishery and should not be relied on in the future.
“Finally, we’ve emphasised the need for stronger monitoring and more responsive management of tarakihi stocks to help prevent similar crises in the future.
“All these measures are necessary because the fisheries management system has let this species down and allowed for overfishing and habitat destruction.
“If we don’t reform the system we’re likely to see more of these scenarios unfold. EDS is calling for an independent inquiry into the fisheries management system to be established in the first 100 days of the next government,” concluded Ms Peart.
Find the EDS tarakihi submission here.
Find the Fisheries New Zealand tarakihi consultation document here.
More: Raewyn Peart raewyn@eds.org.nz 021 613 379