Marine – Starving snapper on our doorstep

Our snapper are starving … so why is the status quo okay?

While we “umm and ah” about why we are seeing skinny snapper with white mushy flesh in Northland, the Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Plenty, there are some undeniable truths. Early reports last year linked the concerning condition to chronic malnutrition – our classic Kiwi fish is starving.

Although those lab reports were informative, it left some gaping holes – why are our snapper starving and is there enough small prey species for them to eat? Fisheries New Zealand led an investigation into the possible causes that left us with more questions than answers. Their key finding can be summarised as, “It’s complicated and there is no single definitive cause.”

It’s not surprising, considering the various stresses the Hauraki Gulf is facing – land-run off, destructive fishing methods destroying the seafloor, and warming sea temperatures to name a few. One of the worrying findings was a significant decrease in phytoplankton within the gulf. Those tiny particles floating aimlessly in the water hold significant importance. Without enough phytoplankton, important bait fish species such as blue and Jack mackerel go hungry. And they’re a popular food source for snapper.

Less phytoplankton means fewer bait fish, and dwindling availability of food for our snapper. The whys and hows behind the reduction in key food sources and phytoplankton was attributed to “recent weather patterns”. While the climate may be contributing to the problem, there was no mention of how human-related pressures are impacting our sensitive marine ecosystems.

After more than a century of destructive fishing practices and excessive catch limits, our snapper have been left in a fragile state. Wild stocks of green-lip mussels and scallop populations have collapsed, and bait fish could be next – all important food sources that have historically sustained snapper and other fish.

It doesn’t help that more than 10 million kilos combined of blue and Jack mackerel were harvested along the north-east coastline just in the last year. Yet, despite all of this, Fisheries NZ was bold enough to state in a press release that “commercial fishing does not affect the main food sources of snapper”.

It’s frightening that a government agency responsible for sustaining our fish is in denial that decades of excessive bait fish harvesting hasn’t contributed to a loss of food for snapper. Especially when scientists haven’t investigated or ruled it out as a likely cause.

The ‘blaming the climate’ narrative fits well for Fisheries NZ as it gives them an excuse for inaction.

However, it’s also a double-edged sword, providing the perfect reason for the fisheries minister to take a precautionary approach in reducing the amount of bait fish taken.

LegaSea will continue to work with the NZ Sport Fishing Council and other groups to put pressure on the Minister to conduct a stock review and lower commercial catch limits for bait fish stocks on the North Island’s east coast. But we can’t do this alone. We need your support. Subscribe to LegaSea to receive our detailed newsletters to keep informed. Leaving more bait fish in the ocean is a simple solution to combating further damage due to poor fisheries management. If a hardy species like snapper are starving, what species will be next?