TRAWLING AND DANISH SEINING PROHIBITION EXTENDED IN EASTERN BAY OF PLENTY

30 May 2001

New regulations have come into force prohibiting trawling and Danish seining within two nautical miles of the shore from Haurere Point to Cape Runaway in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

The extension of an existing closure under the Fisheries (Auckland and Kermadec Areas Commercial Fishing) Regulations, 1986, was agreed by Government to resolve a lengthy dispute between commercial and non-commercial fishers in the area. Local iwi, in particular, were concerned about the effects of commercial fishing close inshore on species like snapper and tarakihi.

Most trawl fishing in the area occurs further offshore and the loss of access to the two-mile zone is not expected to significantly affect trawl operators' ability to catch their target species.

The new regulations were published in the New Zealand Gazette on 12 April 2001.