Recreational fishing allowed in proposed park

DIVE! TUTUKAKA

NATIONAL PROTECTION: The picturesque Poor Knights Islands will be a key feature of the proposed Tutukaka Marine National Park.

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Whangarei Leader

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A national park potentially worth millions is being proposed for the coast off Whangarei.

The Tutukaka Marine National Park would be the first of its kind in the country – allowing fish stocks to improve but still allowing some recreational and customary fishing.

The proposed park covers 1800 square kilometres from Cape Brett to the tip of Whangarei Heads, including the Poor Knights Islands. This area is already prohibited to ships more than 45 metres long.

If approved, the marine national park will have no commercial fishing and recreational bag limits will be halved.

Ten to 15 percent of the area will be completely no take zones, including the existing Poor Knights area, to create "fish factories".

While the idea has been floated for a while, the proposal is being furthered by a group of Tutukaka individuals who are gauging community support.

Spokesman Jeroen Jongejans says the rules will still allow for charters although, like recreational fishers, their bag limits will be halved.

Sustainable aquaculture and customary fishing will also be allowed, he says.

"Everyone gets a really good bite of this but it's done in a sustainable way.

"We want to make sure the generation after us can go out and catch a fish too," he says.

Mr Jongejans says a survey shows 85 percent of fishers think a bag limit of 10 fish is enough.

"Fishing people I talk to think it makes sense to start looking after the area."Another spokesman John Dentice says global fishing is in terminal decline, with scientists estimating commercial fisheries will run out by 2048.

New Zealand's quota management system is often based on guess work with limited research, he says.

Mr Dentice says commercial fishing at Tutukaka employs four people and and makes $250,000 a year, where as tourism employs 60 people and makes $7 million a year.

With the marine national park, tourism is predicted to make up to $11m a year, which will improve Northland's economy by $21m because of the multiplier affect.

The proposal is being presented to key stakeholders to identify any hurdles, before a non-government organisation is formed to take it through to reality.

- © Fairfax NZ News