MILLION DOLLAR SALVAGE

Seems our cuz Vaughn Fisher has been in the news again. This time in a mission that took him to iceberg country when he was asked to salvage a yacht drifting waaay down south.

Bluff fisherman Vaughan Fisher was contracted by Mr Luchtenborg's insurers to tow the stricken yacht Horizons back to Bluff.

Mr Fisher, Mr Luchtenborg and four crew left Bluff on Saturday afternoon on board Mr Fisher's 18m cray boat X.S.

Mr Luchtenborg said the salvors were to travel 500km from Bluff into the southeast Tasman Sea and his wife had been plotting where the yacht was drifting using GPS from Germany.

"It (Horizons) was very easy to find."

While he was elated to be reunited with his yacht, which he has owned for a year, it had sustained additional damage in the days since he abandoned ship, he said.

As well as the rudder damage, the yacht was carrying some water after being swamped by rough seas, its weather vane was broken and the automatic pilot system was damaged, he said.

He planned to stay in Bluff until parts arrived to repair the yacht before sailing for home, he said.

Mr Fisher said yesterday the salvage operation took an epic 50 hours and covered about 1000km – the furthest he had ever been to undertake a tow.

The crew spotted the yacht about 9.30pm on Sunday and had it under tow an hour and a half later.

Mr Luchtenborg wept when he first saw his yacht, but the tears were those of relief, Mr Fisher said.

"After checking his yacht he clambered back on board, gave us a big hug and was hollering in German.

And we salute Vaughn , he had delivered, to the parents of BustedBlonde, a polybin of crayfish to help them celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.
However it had the courier a bit perplexed.. Instead of the old mans name it had the correct street number and name but was addressed simply to "Mogoo."
Dad's nickname that has its origins in some bad ass comic character.. ( not to be mistaken for the myopic Mr Magoo

CAPTAIN ERIC AWASH WITH CASH

While generally the Seafood industry is doing very well in the international arena Sanfords is leading the pack. Company CE Eric Barratt has been a champion of the Korean market for quite some time and now it is paying off.

We did hear a rumour that they were selling their mussels a bit cheap though, much to the chagrin of the rest of the market. Does this mean that Sanfords is looking to buy some mussel farms here in good old NZ?

It is good to see some fleet rejeuvenation as well. In the last few years there hads been a , sell down of, at sea assets across the NZ seafood industry.

Rock Lobster is another market doing ok as well.

Some very big shiny new boats in the Bluff fleet.

OF BIRDS, FAMILIES AND BUSINESS

We made a decision a couple of days ago to head to the muttonbird island with Ma and Pa - Dad is 72 and mum is coming up 69.

We love the island - it has a white sand beach , more often than not occupied by Hooker's Sealions and has some really good Blue Cod fishing patches. We can set a net for a feed of greenbone and dive for a feed of paua.
And then of course there is the muttonbird harvest itself - An ancient hunt that is locked into our genes despite the fact that the last full blood Ngai Tahu was 6 generations back. Go figure.

Anyway after all the crap between the factions who are fighting for supremacy at the Ngai Tahu governing body Te Runanga O Ngai Tahu we think that for the last ten years TRONT, as it is known, has done bugger all for us. Then again we never expected it to. We receive regular monthly newsletters about what each runanga is doing and we find that a good way to find out just what the cousins are doing at home. They are the Ahi Kaa - the ones who keep the home fires burning.

And we get the less frequent Te Karaka - which is a glossy mag that looks at some of the achievements of the tribe. There are some good ones.

And then there is Whai Rawa the Ngai Tahu Superannuation Fund. It will be interesting to see how this is managed in these financially troubled times.
Oh and dad gets a few hundred dollars at Xmas for being an old Ngai Tahu bugger - and being on a pension he looks forward to a wee bit of spare cash.
So not a lot in it for us really. But back to the muttonbird islands.

Our business is strong enough that we can afford to take ten days off and fly there and back in a chopper.

We have worked long and hard to get to that position. We have often wondered if Ngai Tahu would come calling for our business expertise but they never have - we reckon its because we don't do sychophancy very well.

Our focus of the next 6 weeks will be getting fit for the Muttonbird season, that is going to be a very big ask because , not to put too finer point on it,we are way too big.

It may well be the last year for us - Mum and Dad will probably put our little family hut and work house up for sale. So despite all the things the tribe is doing the only real payback we have had from being Ngai Tahu is that it has allowed us to go the island, harvest muttonbirds, practice all the things that have been handed down over generations, and build up a very small asset.
And its for the likes of the two boys in the top picture - one is son of BB and a helicopter pilot/instructor and the other is cousin Storm a young fisherman - one of the stars of the Million dollar Catch.

Both of them have got to where they are without the help of the tribe.

Somehow that seems so much more impressive than building $52million dollar office blocks with money that was given by the government for the wrongs perpetrated on a previous generation.
This generation didn't earn it and now it cant even play with it nicely.

Maybe its time for those at the table to go out and spend some time making money in the real world where the only dollar you get to spend is the one you earn.

INDEPENDENT ACTION -

The Whale found this - we dedicate it to my son and all the crews on Million Dollar Catch ( which incidently we will be watching tonight





The prudish Lamb cut will not be amused.....

SEAFOOD INDUSTRY SHOULD TAKE A BOW

This announcement from new Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley clearly shows that inshore fisheries management works.

Minister announces new limits for lobsters

Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley has announced changes to the catch limits of four rock lobster stocks today.Catch limits in Otago and Southland fisheries will increase, while catch limits in Gisborne and Wellington/Hawke Bay fisheries will decrease. The limit changes will take effect on 1 April 2009.

Mr Heatley said his decisions were based on the best information available and careful consideration of submissions received from customary, recreational and commercial fishers, and the wider public.

“My overriding goal when adjusting catch limits is to make sure there will be fish for future generations of fishers.”

“When the science says extra fish can be safely taken then I will increase catch limits. However, if the science suggests catch limits need to be cut to protect the sustainability of the fishery, I will not hesitate to cut catches,” Mr Heatley said.

Southern Rock Lobster Fisheries

From 1 April, total catch in Otago (CRA 7) will increase 45% from 144 tonnes to 209 tonnes, and in Southland (CRA 8) total catch will increase 5% from 1053 tonnes to 1110 tonnes.

Both fisheries are closely managed with ongoing monitoring of stock health and abundance. This enables rapid responses to changes in lobster numbers to maintain strong and healthy stocks.

Mr Heatley said those operating in the Southern Rock Lobster fisheries deserved to be congratulated.

“The hard decisions in the late 1990s are bearing fruit and allowing me to increase catch limits now that the stocks are healthy, well above sustainable limits, and being carefully managed,” Mr Heatley said.

Most of the increase will go to commercial fishers with commercial quotas up 65 tonnes in CRA 7 and 53 tonnes in CRA 8. Mr Heatley said the increases would be welcomed by local communities in these difficult economic times.

Non-commercial catch limits will stay the same in CRA 7 but in CRA 8, the recreational allowance will increase.

“The information we have suggests the non-commercial catches in CRA 7 are still less than the existing allowances. In CRA 8, stakeholders have agreed catches may be exceeding allowances and a 4 tonne increase to the recreational allowance is appropriate,” Mr Heatley said.

Northern Rock Lobster Fisheries

Catch limits in Gisborne (CRA 3) and in Wellington/Hawke Bay (CRA 4) will decrease.

“There are problems in these fisheries and our focus needs to be on increasing the numbers of lobsters in the water,” Mr Heatley said.

Total catch in Gisborne (CRA 3) will decrease 9% from 319 tonnes to 293 tonnes, with the commercial operators wearing all of the pain this time around.

Mr Heatley has asked the sector groups in CRA 3 to work constructively together in 2009 to develop a management tool to guide the setting of catch limits in the future.

Its simple. When there is lots of fish , fishermen are allowed to catch more when there isn't they get a quota cut.

FYI -Top boats in Cra8 last year caught about 40 tonne at about $50 a kilo.. You can do the math.

MILLION DOLLAR CATCH

We were delighted with the Million Dollar catch programme last night. BB's son used to crew on the X-S. and BB has been on boats in most of the places that were screened last night. Vaughn Fisher is my cousin and a tough but good bastard. Johnny Hawkeless used to crew for my father. And Rewi Bull is part of one of the biggest muttonbirding families of the south and his crew Storm is the son of another one of my cousins and a hellava cool kid.

So we thought that last night New Zealand got a glimpse of just what sort of crap these men work in. Its the toughest place to fish in New Zealand apart from perhaps the Chathams.

We liked that there is actually a story emerging and there are 10 episodes to go. While Vaughn and Johnny own their quota, Rewi does not. He has a tough row to hoe to make a buck. So the programme has featured a good spread of the types of fishermen the Southern Rock Lobster Fleet is made up of.

Ayway you can watch the programme here

MILLION DOLLAR CATCH

Its on tonite - TV3 7.30 ... Life on the high seas in the deep south.

MILLION DOLLAR CATCH

The Cuzzies are getting all excited - TV3's Million dollar catch starts inthe next couple of weeks It promises to be an eye opening, funny and irreverent fly on the wall glimpse of life on one of the toughest stretches of water in NZ and arguably the world.

And the Herald has a word with Vaughan Fisher skipper of the X-S

MORE ON MILLION DOLLAR COUSINS

Quite a few people have asked when Million dollar catch on TV3 will screen
I've just had an email from Tv3 - its at the end of February. Other boats will include the Kay Reece - Skipper Johnny Hawkless - ( who used to crew for my dad) and Rewi Bull who skippers the Shangri - La with my delightful young cous Storm as his crew.

There will be others from the Bluff Fleet as well - I sure hope that the Bluff community gets behind their local good ol boys - I can see Mayor Tim getting some mileage for the deep south from the programme.