Marine – Crayfish must come first

For many of us, the classic summer staple of sharing crayfish with friends and family is a mere memory. Now we must do something meaningful to restore crayfish abundance.

Crayfish numbers in areas across Northland (CRA 1) and the Hauraki Gulf (CRA 2) are so depleted that Fisheries NZ (FNZ) has proposed drastic management measures to restore abundance.

One option is to reduce the recreational daily bag limit for red rock lobsters applying to areas overrun by kina barrens. Those are rocky reefs stripped bare of kelp by unchecked kina numbers. FNZ has also proposed closures to crayfish harvesting in east Northland and the coastline between Te Arai Point and Cape Rodney. This would affect both commercial and recreational red rock lobster fishing.

In September, LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council submitted in support of the closures, and a review of both commercial and recreational catch limits. That’s because the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries cannot lawfully allow harvest to continue knowing there are areas of significant depletion. Our submission also advocated for the large CRA 1 management area to be split at North Cape, so the east and west coast stocks of crayfish can be managed separately, as per an agreed recovery plan.

A closure may seem harsh, but it reflects the state of the fishery. Right now, a closure is the fastest way to rebuild crayfish populations. Closing a fishery is not a cause for celebration. It indicates a serious failure to protect this species from over-harvest. If meaningful action had been taken earlier, we would not be paying the price today.

If the Quota Management System is as ‘world-leading’ as claimed, how come we’ve ended up in this predicament? The answer lies in successive fisheries ministers setting catch limits too high, for too long. Officials have allowed for more crayfish to be taken from the ecosystem than it could sustain.

The deeper problem is the information used to determine these decisions. The reliance on self-reported data from commercial fishers, and outdated models has created a false picture of abundance. This false reality contributed to the depletion of crayfish in the Hauraki Gulf, and the subsequent minister’s decision to close the inner Gulf to crayfish harvest earlier this year.

Depletion impacts our neighbours across the wider Hauraki Gulf. Commercial fishers have now moved their crayfish pots into areas around the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Aotea Great Barrier Island.

Our most recent submission made it clear that there is no point in only changing recreational daily bag limits for crayfish. To have maximum impact on rebuilding abundance across the entire fishery, commercial catch limits for crayfish must be reviewed alongside any changes to bag limits. Otherwise, this process is just another means to protect commercial harvest and maximise exports, at the expense of the marine environment and our wellbeing.

To keep informed on what management measures the minister decides to implement for our crayfish, subscribe to receive LegaSea newsletters.