Source: Ministry for Primary Industries
A bylaw prohibiting the take of 4 shellfish species from part of the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve on the Mahia Peninsula has been approved by The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, David Parker.
The bylaw on the Mahia Peninsula in Hawke’s Bay comes into effect on 17 December.
Commercial fishing is already excluded from the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve which is a customary fisheries area covering about 15km². The bylaw though covers an area of less than 1km².
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director of fisheries management, Emma Taylor says the bylaw has been put in place to help the recovery of shellfish species important to tangata whenua.
“Under this bylaw it will be illegal for recreational fishers to take kina, kōura (rock lobster), kuku (mussels), and pāua from Waikokopu to Opoutama within the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve.
“Vulnerable and traditionally important areas, like the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve, benefit from bylaws like these to support the revitalisation and rebuild of shellfish abundance for future generations,” says Emma Taylor.
Public consultation on the bylaw was held between October and November this year with 59 submissions received. 57 of these were in support of the proposed bylaw.
Mahia Māori Committee Chairman Paul Ratapu, says the new bylaw for the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve is the result of a combined effort by Tangata Kaitiaki/Tiaki, Fisheries New Zealand, and the wider Mahia community.
“There’s been a decline in the number and size of shellfish species in the rohe moana from Waikokopu to Opoutama within the Te Hoe Mātaitai Reserve. We’ve also been concerned about the impact of land-based activities on the near shore reefs, the high accessibility of the reefs by non-commercial fishers, and illegal fishing activities. This bylaw will go a long way in helping to address these problems,” he says.
The Tangata Kaitiaki / Tiaki intend to regularly monitor the health of the shellfish beds to see how they respond to the bylaw to inform future community management of the species.
The Te Hoe Mātaitai reserve is one of 3 Mātaitai established on the Mahia Peninsula. Te Hoe Mātaitai and the other 2 Mātaitai on the peninsula (Horokaka and Te Toka Tāmure) were all established in 2012. Since 2016, bylaws have been implemented in the Te Toka Tāmure and Horokaka Mātaitai. However, this is the first time a bylaw has been implemented in the Te Hoe Mātaitai.
MPI encourages anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing to contact MPI on 0800 4 POACHER to report it.
