Ngai Tahu says eel size limits ineffectual

South Island iwi Ngai Tahu says recent Government regulations stating maximum catch weights for eels taken commercially in the North and Chatham islands will be ineffectual. From 1 April, the maximum size limit for eels is 4kgs. The same maximum size limit had already been introduced for eels taken by commercial fishers in the South Island. People fishing for customary and recreational purposes will still be allowed to take eels over 4kg.

Eels in the North Island were introduced into the Quota Management System (QMS) in October 2004, following the introduction of South Island and Chatham Island eel stocks into the QMS in earlier years. And the overall annual catch of eels taken is now limited in order to ensure sustainable use of the fishery into the future.

However, Ngai Tahu believes the Government's measures are ineffectual. “A maximum size limit of four kilograms equates, on average, to an eel of 46 years of age, and given the commercial pressure on the fishery the odds of an eel reaching this size are very slim,” says Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Kaiwhakahaere Mark Solomon.

“Recently there has been catch probability studies conducted by NIWA scientists and it shows clearly that over time the chances of an eel avoiding the nets of commercial fisherman are very remote - this renders the Government's size limit totally ineffectual.”

The NIWA study estimated that longfin eels have a 90 percent chance of being caught before they reach the 4kg upper size limit. NIWA therefore believe that the current upper size limit is ineffective and that an upper size limit of 1kg would be better.

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