June 21, 2018
Cuts to eel catch considered
Fisheries New Zealand has started public consultation on catch limits for North Island freshwater eels.
Inshore fisheries manager Steve Halley says it is proposing to leave the catch limits for short fin eels unchanged, based on a 2017 NIWA scientific assessment that found stocks are at sustainable levels
Two options are being considered for longfin eels: keeping the catch limits for each stock at its current level; or reducing catch limits across all North Island stocks.
Mr Halley says some long fin eel stocks are not showing a clear increase in abundance.
It also responds to concerns raised during discussion with iwi, stakeholders and public feedback.
Iwi and conservationists have been calling for a moratorium on commercial fishing of long fin eels, which they say is pushing the endemic native species into extinction.
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