Local Labour with Rachel Jones

As a political candidate I get to talk to locals about a whole lot of issues. One topic that's got under my skin is fishery management.

New Zealand fisheries management seems strangely weighted in favour of commercial fishers –despite the ownership of the resource being held undisputedly by the public. Recreational fishers and sustainability of the catch get short shrift.

Take the example of CRA2 – the crayfish area that encompasses the Bay of Plenty.

The commercial catch in this region has been steady for a number of years, but more than double the number of pots were laid in 2012 as compared to 1999.

A steady catch means the crayfish stocks are healthy, right?

So, the Government's recent decision to cut the commercial quota by 15 per cent superficially seems like a good idea.

But, cutting the commercial take by this amount will not rebuild the fishery; it will only serve to lock in the current state of low abundance that's helped give this area the title of worst cray-fishery in New Zealand.

Chat to any local recreational crayfish gatherer and they'll tell you it's getting harder and harder to catch a feed to take home to the family. The local area is characterised by large numbers of commercial pots and low numbers of mainly small-sized crays.

A recreational diver cannot exponentially increase their effort in order to catch a feed, so making no cuts to the recreational allowance becomes meaningless. It seems wrong to offer an annual allowance to the public that isn't actually there to be caught.

More than 90 per cent of all crayfish caught in NZ are exported by commercial fishers or sold locally for up to $145 per kilogram.

It seems grossly unfair to hold the stock level at a point that makes targeting them recreationally almost futile and buying them locally financially impossible for most households.

Crayfish stocks are being managed for the financial viability of the few, at the expense of the recreational value for the many; and ultimately the long-term health of the fishery.

I'd like to see CRA2 management reviewed. Ordinary New Zealanders are being disadvantaged by rules that favour commercial interests. It's about fairness and sustainability – two Labour values.