Draft CRA 3 management plan out for sector input

19 December 2007

The CRA 3 Multi-stakeholder Fishing Forum has developed the first draft Fisheries Management Plan for the Gisborne red rock lobster fishery (known as CRA 3). This is a significant milestone for the CRA 3 Working Group (which is a sub-group of Forum representatives) who have voluntarily put in a lot of time and effort over the last few months to develop the draft Management Plan for the Forum.

The draft Management Plan includes a number of proposals designed to build a sustainable CRA 3 fishery for all sectors.

“Finding solutions to this issue has been our key focus,” says commercial representative and Working Group member Gordon Halley.

Strategies proposed in the draft CRA 3 Management Plan include:

• developing a cross-sector code of practice to minimise handling-related mortalities,
• initiatives to improve customary and recreational catch information,
• introducing closed seasons for each sector,
• removing the winter commercial concession once a target stock level is achieved,
• increasing education on current MFish rules.

The Plan also includes “a proposal to introduce closed areas to commercial”, recreational representative and Working Group member Alain Jorion says.

The next step in the development process is for each sector’s representatives – customary, recreational, and commercial – to discuss details of the draft CRA 3 Management Plan with those who they represent and provide feedback to the Forum in the New Year.

“The mahi doesn’t stop here,” says tangata whenua representative and CRA 3 Working Group member Gordon Aston. “Working Group members have a lot to consider” before the final proposed CRA 3 Plan is sent to the Minister of Fisheries by end of March 2008.

Receiving feedback from the wider Gisborne public on the draft Management Plan is important. The closing date for feedback on the draft Plan is 5pm Monday, 11 February 2008. Please provide feedback to your CRA 3 Working Group representative by this date.

Your representatives are: Gordon Aston, Morehu Cooper and Stan Pardoe (Customary), Alain Jorion and Hilton Webb (Recreational), Angus Ngarangioue (Maori Recreational), and Gordon Halley and Mark Ngata (Commercial).