SEAFOOD INDUSTRY RISES TO THE CHALLENGE.

First we had new Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley raising the allowable by catch levels of Sealions for the NZ squid industry - We thought that was great - then came the news that pup numbers had dropped off this year.

So because they were treated like adults the seafood industry reacted like adults and this is the result

27 January 2009 - Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley and Ministry of Fisheries Chief Executive Wayne McNee have today congratulated the squid fishing industry on their responsible approach to today's announcement by the Department of Conservation of a 30% fall in the number of sea lion pups.
The Deepwater Group (representing the majority of squid quota owners) has announced the squid fishing industry will respond to this decline by voluntarily reducing fishing activity in the Auckland Islands squid fishery as an interim measure for the 2009 fishing season. This measure effectively reduces the sea lion fishing related mortality limit from 113 to 95 sea lions.
"When I became aware of this decline in sea lion pup numbers I requested that the squid fishing industry consider voluntarily reducing the sea lion fishing related mortality limit," said Mr Heatley.
"I am very pleased the squid fishing industry has responded by taking a responsible and cautious approach.
"Their willingness to work with me and the Ministry of Fisheries to minimise the risk to sea lions is most gratifying," he said.
Mr McNee said with the Auckland Islands squid fishery due to open this weekend a voluntary reduction was the most effective way to respond quickly and responsibly to the new information.
The Department of Conservation says the latest research on sea lion populations in the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands provisionally shows a 30% fall in the number of sea lion pups and a reduction in the number of female sea lions coming ashore.
It is not known what is causing this decline but DOC scientists on the Auckland Islands are carrying out further research.
"While we are confident this decline is not being caused by fishing, we need to take these figures into account and make sure that the impact of fishing is particularly well managed" said Mr McNee.

Good stuff, we say - a win for everyone.

Word has it that the industry is pretty happy with their Minister so far - and a few of the industry wags have suggested that his press secretary is a "good un." It is expected that his extensive knowledge of wine will be of benefit at future seafood dinners.

And still on matters seafood.

The industry is doing a bit of rationalisation - with about 26 industry groups it was all getting a bit hard for SEAFIC to manage. The inshore boys met today to discuss ways of doing things better. Well done.

GREENY BULLSHIT ABOUT HOOKER SEALIONS

The standard is going crook about new Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley increasing the allowable sealion bycatch for the squid industry.

We know this issue very, very well. There is nothing "threatened" about the Hooker Sealion population - there are thousands of the buggers in and around the oceans way south of New Zealand where the squid fishery is largely based. Note the use of the word "threatened" rather than "endangered" - which does mean that something is demonstrably in trouble.

BB gets up close and personal ( well as close as you can get considering their propensity to suffer from cetacean halitosis) with these wonderful creatures on a regular basis. We have even hand feed them and swum with them. Never stand in their poop. It is as vile as animal poop gets. Its normally white with little fishy bits in it and very slippery and it sticks to rubber like - well poop sticks to rubber. And they will chase you on land but in the water they dont seem to give a shit about you.

So the Standard and Forest and Bird are getting all hysterical because National has imposed a much more realistic level of by catch from 81 to 113.

Now, in 1998 lots of pups died from some mysterious bug. Curiously and importantly, overcrowding was not discounted as a possible factor in the spread of the unknown malady.

Up until that point there were an estimated 15,000. In 2003 it was estimated that the population was about 13000. Both of these figures are wildly speculative and considered to be a underestimate of actual number which fisheries experts put at about 20,000 . There is a population of about 30 - 35 that resides in Small craft in Port Pegasus. DOC estimated it at the time to be 5 -1o animals which has been one reason we have never trusted their estimates. As you will witness from the pics - an young one on the left and an old beachmaster on the right - they spend quite a bit of time deep in the bush. These two were photographed by BB about 1km inland up a fresh water creek with towering rimu all around.
So DOC takes pics of the ones on the beach - not the ones in the bush - which at any time seem to be about half the population.

They are truly magnificent animals and we were deeply upset when a fisherman shot some of them a few years back and left them to rot on our island beach. However we are also pragmatic and the Squid industry is an important one for New Zealand the forth largest in earnings at 86 million a year.

So at less than one percent this bycatch is still very, very low.

DOC's lickspittles over at Forest and Bird should look at other burning issues like cats on Stewart Island which do huge amounts of damage to small bird life instead of twittering and tweetering about the minimal collateral damage to yet another species of, to coin a phrase from Ta Tipene O'Regan, "charismatic mega fauna." But then thats the rub, F and B wouldn't get much traction for calling for a cull of a heap of bad pussies. So, instead, they just pick on the causes that will appeal to an animal cuddling public to ensure the donations keep flowing. How venal.

EUMENIDES

We love helicopters ands we are still giggling over the fact that it was one that stopped the red tide in its tracks. It was Eumenides providing the documented proof of the relationship between Peters, Meurant and the Velas in the form of a helicopter that was the final nail in the Axis coffin. It was Peters denial of the use of that helicopter and the subsequent pictures of the said helicopters that resonated with voters who finally realised their political god had clay feet. Peters was Clarks last hope and Eumenides last furious stroke smote him down and took her with him.

We think that Eumenides should be in the New Years Honours list for services to the nation.

And if you think that Vela is left wing - think again - the $200,000 he donated to the Axis that was Peters and Clark was just play money. And he loves playing.

FRAN O'SULLIVAN IS ON THE BUTTON - AN INQUIRY INTO CORRUPTION IS A MUST

We agree with Fran, we have brought this issue of an inquiry up in the past - there is a stench about the fish scandals ( there is more than one of them) and we have one political party, NZ First who is linked to policy for pay and another, Labour who has turned a blind eye to the mounting evidence of corruption. Rodney Hide has told Roarprawn that he wont rest until he gets to the bottom of the scandal. Good. It should be one of the things he requires of any deals he does with National.

Read Frans column here

DISAPPEARING EVIDENCE - SEAFOOD INDUSTRY QUOTA ALLOCATION BASED ON SAND?

We have been fascinated with the May 2003 Submission that Ross Meurant prepared for Winston Peters on the Hoki allocation scandal that we have been reading over the last few days. He presented it with vim and vigour to the Primary production select committee looking into the scampi scandal. Then he backed off pursuing it after he got some dodgy advice and some sort of incentive to change his mind. The submission states that the relevant papers relating to the alleged offer and tender rounds of Hoki had disappeared.

On 14 May 2003 Tim Donoghue reported that scampi audit files from 1994 were also missing.

Today we discovered that relevant documents for the squid allocation round are also missing from the Ministry's files. This, may seem like ancient history - but we think that means that this story cannot be forgotten.

Lives were changed, businesses grew and went bust over these allocations.

We believe that a full inquiry of the quota allocation process needs to be carried out. If Winston had done his job and continued to pursue the Hoki issue the NZ Seafood Industry may have looked very different that it does today.

So the question that must be asked - for a few pieces of silver, and probably a helicopter ride, did Winston Peters turn his back on good men?