Future of largest blue cod fishery discussed

The future of New Zealand's largest blue cod fishery was on the menu yesterday as southern fishing stakeholders met to discuss a more co-ordinated approach to managing the area.

However, a suggestion that blue cod stocks in the BC05 area were in decline was rejected by some who attended the meeting. The BC05 quota area extends from the Westland coast around the south coast to the southern Catlins coast and a sizeable chunk of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of New Zealand. The total allowable commercial catch for BC05 has been set at 1.54 million kilograms since 2001-02.

One source told The Southland Times that alarm bells were ringing because stocks were not looking good. "There appears to be a problem pending, because stocks are reducing." A decline in the valuable fishery, if proven, could be because of disease or loss of habitat but assessment work needed to be done to get a better idea of the health of the fishery, the source said.

Ministry of Fisheries policy analyst Allen Frazer said MFish had not done an assessment of BC05 since 2000. "There was a wee drop in landings last year." MFish catch rates show 1.26 million kilograms of blue cod was caught in BC05 in 2006-07, compared to 1.36 million kilograms in 2005-06 and 1.47 million kilograms in 2004-05.

Mr Frazer said there was anecdotal evidence that blue cod stocks were pretty good, but new information was needed. "It's a really important fishery... it's a crucial one." Jones Fishing Bluff factory manager Karen Mollis said the meeting was an informal opportunity to talk about the fishery and recognised that quotaholders wanted to "keep an eye on things".