October 10, 2012
New body to give eels a voice
The Ngati Awa man promoting the creation of a national eel association says trout have a voice but the humble tuna has none.
John Hohapata-Oke from Ngati Awa wants to bring commercial and customary fishers together to halt the decline in eel stocks and encourage eel farming for commercial use.
He says there are many issues affecting the eels, but not enough research is being done on solutions.
He says while the Fish and Game Council advocates for trout, there is no body to speak up for indigenous species.
Mr Hohapata-Oke says he became concerned about the indigenous freshwater fishery after earlier working on repopulating the Eastern Bay of Plenty with kiwi.