LUXTON TO CONSIDER COMMERCIAL FINFISH CLOSURES NORTH OF WHANGAPARAOA PENINSULA

The Minister of Fisheries, Hon John Luxton announced today the he intends to consider the closure to commercial finfish fishing of small area/s north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, in the Hauraki Gulf.

On 1 October 1997 the area south of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula was closed to commercial finfish fishing. This closure followed a court injunction in 1995 which had prevented the closure of this area.

The Minister was advised that there were insufficient sustainability benefits for the snapper fishery in terms of a reduction in juvenile snapper mortality to warrant closing the entire area north of Whangaparaoa Peninsula, given the costs of the closure to commercial fishers.

However, Mr Luxton said today, "There may be some more confined areas north of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, which if closed, may benefit the sustainability of the snapper fishery without unduely penalising commercial fishers.

"I have therefore asked the Ministry of Fisheries to undertake a process of consultation to allow such consideration, with a view to regulating any additional closures north of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula by 1 April 1998," the Minister said.

Should there be sufficient information to support closures on sustainability grounds, the views of stakeholders will be sought on options for area closure and the season and methods to which they should apply. The main commercial fishing method for snapper in the inner Hauraki Gulf is longline. Trawlers and Danish seiners are already excluded from most of the area in question.

"However the far larger area of the Hauraki Gulf, south of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, was actually closed on 1 October 1997. This will remain closed to commercial fishers," Mr Luxton concluded.