SETTING OF SUSTAINABILITY MEASURES AND OTHER MANAGEMENT CONTROLS FOR ROCK LOBSTER FISHERIES FOR 1 APRIL 2011
In December 2010, the National Rock Lobster Management Group (NRLMG) provided the Minister of Fisheries with initial advice on proposed changes to sustainability measures and other management controls for rock lobster fisheries for the 2011-12 fishing year beginning 1 April 2011.
There were three sections in the consultation document that set out the NRLMG’s initial advice on proposals to:
- use new management procedures to guide Total Allowable Catch (TAC) setting in the CRA 5 (Canterbury/Marlborough) and CRA 7 (Otago) spiny rock lobster stocks
- set TACs and allowances for the CRA 4 (Wellington/Hawkes Bay), CRA 5 (Canterbury/ Marlborough), CRA 7 (Otago) and CRA 8 (Southern) spiny rock lobster stocks; and
- review deemed value rates for all spiny and packhorse rock lobster stocks.
The Ministry of Fisheries consulted on the NRLMG’s initial advice on the Minister’s behalf between 13 December 2010 and 2 February 2011. The NRLMG provided the Minister with Final Advice in early-March 2011 for consideration.
The Minister has made his decisions. These are reported in the decision letter available for download below:
Rock Lobster Decision Letter (PDF 1.38MB)
In summary the Minister has decided to:
- Increase the CRA 4 TAC from 610.625 to 661.9 tonnes, and increase the CRA 4 Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) from 415.625 to 466.9 tonnes;
- Retain the current CRA 5 TAC of 467 tonnes and retain the current allowances for the 2011-12 fishing year;
- Decrease the CRA 7 TAC from 104.5 to 95.7 tonnes, and decrease the CRA 7 TACC from 84.5 tonnes to 75.7 tonnes;
- Decrease the CRA 8 TAC from 1110 to 1053 tonnes, and decrease the CRA 8 TACC from 1019 to 962 tonnes;
- Increase the annual deemed value rate to $110.00 per kilogram, increase the interim deemed value to $99 per kilogram, and adjust the differential deemed value rates accordingly for all spiny and packhorse rock lobster stocks.
The NRLMG’s Final Advice to the Minister is available for download below, including the submissions received from stakeholders:
NRLMG Final Advice Paper (PDF 696KB)
NRLMG Final Advice Paper Attachment 5 - Submissions (PDF 4.64MB)
Please note: this is a large document and may take some time to download.
Also available for download is the NRLMG’s Initial Advice on sustainability measures and other management controls for rock lobster fisheries:
NRLMG Initial Advice Paper (PDF 516KB)
For further information on New Zealand rock lobster fisheries see:
Download - NRLMG 2010 Annual Report (PDF 3.57MB)
Please note: this is a large document and may take some time to download.
If you require further information on the rock lobster sustainability measures and other management controls for 1 April 2011, please contact:
Steve Halley, Team leader - Inshore Fisheries, phone 04 819 4622 or email steve.halley@fish.govt.nz