FISHERIES PLAN NORTH WEST SHELLFISH. September 2007

Transcription

1 FISHERIES PLAN NORTH WEST SHELLFISH September 2007 Blue mussel (MSB 8&9) Cockle (COC 8&9) Deepwater (King) clam (PZL 8&9) Dredge oyster (OYS 8A&9) Green-lipped mussel (GLM 8&9) Horse mussel (HOR 8&9) Kina (SUR8&9) Knobbed whelk (KWH 8&9) Mud snail (ACR 8&9) Octopus (OCT 8&9) Pacific oyster (POY 8&9) Paddle crab (PAD 8&9) Pipi (PPI 8&9) Rock oyster (ROY 8&9) Scallop (SCA 8A&9A) Sea cucumber (SCC 8&9) Toheroa (TOH 8&9) Tuatua (TUA 8&9) Surf clams (BYA, DAN, DSU, MDI, MMI, PDO, SAE, all 8&9)

2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION..1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...1 PURPOSE...2 SCOPE...2 NATURE OF THE FISHERIES IN THE PLAN...4 SECTION 1: THE CURRENT SITUATION...9 AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT...9 General Features of North-West Coast Aquatic Environment...9 North-West Coast Aquatic Region...9 Biodiversity...10 Fishery Information...14 Habitats of Particular Significance to Fisheries Management...14 Productivity...15 Sustainability Indicators...16 Information Status...16 Research...16 Managing the Effects of Fishing...18 Total Allowable Catch...18 Benthic Impacts...20 Associated or dependent species...21 Other Impacts on Fishery Resources...21 USE AND VALUES INFORMATION...23 Allocation, Use and Value...23 Allocation of Fishery Resources...23 Fishing Methods and Locations...24 Value...25 Commercial Fishing...25 Profile of commercial sector...25 Commercial Use...30 Commercial Value...36 Recreational Fishing...38 Profile of recreational sector...38 Recreational Use...38 Recreational Value...40 Customary Fishing...40 Profile of customary sector...40 Customary Use...40 Customary Value...42 Non-Extractive Users of Fishery Resources...44 MANAGEMENT INFORMATION...45 Tāngata Whenua Input and Participation...45 Stakeholder Engagement...46 Standards...47 Compliance...47 Services...56 SECTION 2: MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES...65 SECTION 3: ASSESSMENT AND RISK ANALYSIS...65 SECTION 4: MANAGEMENT MEASURES AND OPERATIONAL PLAN...65 SECTION 5: MONITORING AND REVIEW OF THE OPERATIONAL PLAN...65

3 Introduction EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 The North-West Shellfish Fisheries Plan covers the majority of the commercially, recreationally and culturally important shellfish and invertebrate stocks found on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. 2 The Ministry of Fisheries, tangata whenua and stakeholders will develop this plan by working together to develop management goals and measures for the shellfish fisheries covered by the plan and to propose an operational plan for the future management of the fisheries. In short, the purpose of the plan is to give all sectors with an interest in the shellfish stocks on the west coast of the North Island a direct input into the management of the fisheries. 3 The commercial sector took approximately 121 tonnes of the shellfish stocks covered in this plan in the last fishing year with a value, at current port prices, of $120,870. This harvest was only 20% of the 601 tonnes available TACC for all of the stocks. If the TACC was fully harvested for all species covered in this plan, the value of the fisheries at current port prices would be in the region of $2,000,000. The most valuable commercial fishery is green-lipped mussel spat. Other important commercial fisheries include paddle crab, kina and, although not recently, tuatua. 4 Important taonga species covered in this plan include toheroa, kina, green-lipped mussel, surf clam and pipi; these and other species are listed in Deeds of Settlement reached with iwi and hapu on the west coast of the North Island. Customary authorisations and other tools are available for Maori to develop management plans for their own areas. Rohe moana are being identified and Tangata Kaitiaki appointed along the west coast. Recreational fishers also take a significant amount of certain species such as scallop, cockle, pipi and tuatua and the west-coast harbours are the sites of important recreational fisheries. However, estimates of customary and recreational catch are uncertain. 5 Only limited stock assessment information is available for most shellfish stocks and it is not certain whether many of the stocks covered in this plan are being harvested at levels which are sustainable. Most stocks have had catch limits set at conservative levels that reflect past catches to minimise the risk of overfishing. Some stocks, where there is less concern regarding sustainability, have had higher catch limits set to allow an improved commercial fishery to develop. 6 The Ministry of Fisheries works with tangata whenua on management of shellfish primarily through iwi/hapu-based regional forums that have been and are being established around New Zealand, including in the area covered by this plan. As the commercial fisheries are relatively small, there is no specific body to represent commercial interests in the shellfish fisheries. Recreational involvement in fisheries management is through consultation during Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) processes and engagement at MFish recreational forums. 1

4 PURPOSE 7 The North-West Shellfish Fisheries Plan (the plan) will be developed through a collaborative approach between the Ministry of Fisheries (MFish), tangata whenua, and stakeholders. The aim of the plan is that these groups will work together to develop management objectives for the inshore shellfish 1 stocks on the west coast of the North Island. It is recognised that collective agreement on which management objectives to support may not be possible in all situations. In these cases the Ministry will perform an adjudicating role. 8 The plan is currently incomplete, because it only outlines the current situation and available information about the fishery from the Ministry s perspective. To complete the plan, MFish will work with tängata whenua and stakeholders, firstly to ensure the best available information on the current situation is included in the plan and then to: develop management objectives for the fishery assess the fishery against those objectives recommend management measures for the fishery, and propose an operational plan for the future management of the fishery. 9 Each individual fisheries plan will propose measures to improve management of their fisheries. These proposed measures will then be prioritised and decisions will be made about which measures from which plans to implement. Once the plan is in place, MFish, tangata whenua and stakeholders will monitor and review it. The plan will be fully reviewed at appropriate times in the future to update the best available information, review objectives, reassess the fishery, and develop new management measures. SCOPE 10 This fisheries plan covers the main shellfish species found in inshore waters, including harbours and estuaries, along the west coast of the North Island. These are within the areas known as Fisheries Management Areas (FMAs) 8 and 9 (see figure 1). These coastal areas are further subdivided into New Zealand Fisheries General Statistical Areas 2 039, 040, 041, 042, 043, 044, 045, 046, 047, and 048. Part of Statistical Area 037 is within FMA 8 and that part of area 037 is included in this plan. 1 For the purposes of this Plan, the term shellfish includes crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms, as defined under section 2 of the Fisheries Act Statistical Areas are used for commercial fishers to report where they have caught fish the fishers must record which general statistical area they were fishing in when their catches were landed on board. 2

5 Figure 1: North-west area, Fisheries Management Areas 8 and 9, relevant Statistical Areas and bathymetry. 11 Shellfish along the west coast of the North Island make up many different and discrete fisheries, both target and bycatch, which are taken by a variety of methods. There are 21 species managed in the Quota Management System (QMS) and a number of species managed outside the QMS that are included in this plan. Stocks included in this plan, and the species they are a part of, are set out in Table 1. Table 1: North-west shellfish species and stocks Common name Maori name Scientific name Stocks Blue mussel Toretore / Kutae Mytilus galloprovincialis MSB 8 & 9 Cockle Huangi / Tuangi Austrovenus stutchburyi COC 8 & 9 Deepwater (King) clam Panopea zelandica PZL 8 & 9 Dredge oyster Tio Ostrea chilensis OYS 8 & 9 Green-lipped mussel Kutae Perna canaliculus GLM 8 & 9 Horse mussel Waharaoa Atrina zelandica HOR 8 & 9 3

6 Common name Maori name Scientific name Stocks Knobbed whelk Austrofusus glans KWH 8 & 9 Kina Kina Evechinus chloroticus SUR 8 & 9 Mud snail Waikaka / Titiko Amphibola crenata ACR 8 & 9 Octopus Wheke Pinnoctopus cordiformis OCT 8 & 9 Octopus huttoni Pacific oyster Tio Crassostrea gigas POY 8 & 9 Paddle crab Papaka Ovalipes catharus PAD 8 & 9 Pipi Pipi Paphies australis PPI 8 & 9 Rock oyster Tio repe Saccostrea glomerata ROY 8 & 9 Scallop Tipa / Tupa Pecten novaezelandiae SCA 8 & 9 Sea cucumber Rori Sticophus mollis SCC 8 & 9 Surf clam Purimu Bassina yatei Dosinia anus Dosinia subrosea Mactra discors Mactra murchisoni Paphies donacina Spisula aequilatera BYA 8 & 9 DAN 8 & 9 DSU 8 & 9 MDI 8 & 9 MMI 8 & 9 PDO 8 & 9 SAE 8 & 9 Toheroa Toheroa Paphies ventricosa TOH 8 & 9 Tuatua Tuatua Paphies subtriangulata TUA 8 & 9 12 This plan does not include any scallop fisheries in statistical areas 047 or 048 (at the top of the North Island down to the southern tip of Ninety Mile Beach) as these are discussed in the Northland Scallop Fisheries Plan. Rock lobster and paua will be discussed in separate national Fisheries Plans for those species. Deepwater invertebrates such as scampi and king crab will be discussed in the Deepwater Fisheries Plan. Scallop and dredge oyster in statistical area 037 will be discussed in the Southern Scallop and Dredge Oyster Fisheries Plan. NATURE OF FISHERIES IN THE PLAN 13 This section provides a brief overview of the habitat and fisheries history of the species covered in this plan. 14 Blue mussels are dark blue or brown to almost black. Its two shells are equal and nearly quadrangular. The species can be found from exposed rocky outer coasts to sandy bottoms and typically requires rocky coastlines with a high rate of water flow. The species is native to the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Black Sea coasts and has probably been spread around the world, including to New Zealand, through ballast water in hulls of ships. There has been no reported commercial fishing for blue mussel in areas 8 and 9. Levels of recreational and customary catch are unknown. 15 Cockles are not fished commercially on the West Coast of the North Island. However, they are harvested by recreational and customary fishers for sustenance purposes, mostly in the harbours. In the Auckland area, concern has been expressed about localised depletion of cockle beds due to high fishing pressure from the large number of people who live in close proximity to the beds. Cockle harvesting is more prevalent on the east coast around Auckland but there is some harvesting on west coast beaches such as Mill Bay. Cockles are found in soft mud to fine sand on protected beaches and enclosed shores and they may extend to 20m depth in some places. 4

7 16 Deepwater (King) clams (also known as geoduck) occur mainly in depths of 5-25 metres in sand and mud off sandy ocean beaches throughout New Zealand. They are subtidal and bury themselves relatively deeply. It is necessary to use underwater breathing apparatus (UBA) to commercially hand gather deepwater clams. There have been no reported commercial landings of deepwater clams on the west coast of the North Island, although exploratory fishing is known to have been undertaken on the Kapiti coast. Recreational or customary fishers may take small amounts of deepwater clams by hand-gathering from beaches after storms. 17 Green-lipped mussels (adult) are generally found on the lower shore and open coast down to depths of 50 metres. Historically, adult mussels were commercially hand-gathered but this fishery has declined and it is not now thought to be commercially viable. No commercial fishery exists for the species on the west coast of the North Island outside of the spat harvesting operation on Ninety-Mile Beach (see below), although now green-lipped mussels are within the QMS, it is possible that some harvest of adults will occur. Greenlipped mussels are an important recreational species and are very important to Maori, although it is unknown how much is taken for customary or recreational purposes. They are generally gathered in the harbours by diving or hand gathering. 18 Green-lipped mussels (spat) attach themselves to seaweed and wash up to the surf zone just off Ninety-Mile Beach. The spat and the seaweed are then harvested by a commercial fishing operation based on Ninety-Mile Beach, which is the largest commercial fishery covered by this plan. This fishery is unusual in that it does not provide mussels for consumption but provides around 90% of the mussel spat for the mussel farms (aquaculture) of New Zealand. Harvesting of mussel spat on Ninety Mile Beach is unlikely to affect the productive capacity of the stock because if the mussel spat which washes up on the beach is not harvested it dies. Since green-lipped mussel was introduced into the Quota Management System in 2004, landings of mussel spat and seaweed combined have consistently exceeded 100 tonnes per year. 19 Horse mussels are not thought to be targeted in large numbers by commercial, recreational or customary fishers on the west coast of the North Island. There are allowances of 1 tonne each for recreational and customary fishers and catch limits of 1 tonne for commercial fishers in both FMAs 8 and 9. The commercial catch partly consists of horse mussel taken by targeted diving and partly of horse mussel taken as bycatch in bottom trawl, dredge and Danish seine fisheries. It is possible that some horse mussel bycatch is taken by commercial fishers and not reported, although such non-reporting is illegal under the Fisheries Act Although horse mussels are not heavily targeted, they are very important as providers of habitat for other marine species. Due to their large size, they provide shelter and refuge for small invertebrates and fish and favourable conditions for worms. They also act as substrata for settlement of sponges and soft corals, thus enhancing the biodiversity of the seabed. Horse mussels have brittle shells which are vulnerable to damage by bottom trawl and by dredge. 20 Kina are very common in shallow (down to 10 metres) coastal waters throughout New Zealand. They are found on reef areas, usually close to seaweed stands and are generally absent on sandy exposed beaches. Kina may also be present around the Three Kings Islands. The main harvest method is by diving. Commercial landings increased after kina was added to the QMS, as the TACC for SUR 9 of 10 tonnes provided a new opportunity to harvest the stock. Kina are important to recreational fishers. The average recreational catch has been estimated by MFish at around 10 tonnes for FMA 8 and 9 tonnes 5

8 for FMA 9, although there is a great deal of uncertainty in those estimates. Kina is known to be a species of very high cultural significance to Maori although it is unknown how much is taken for customary purposes. The different sectors tend to fish for kina in different areas, with the main commercial fishery between North Cape and Cape Rëinga and the main noncommercial effort further south along the west coast. 21 Knobbed whelks are widely distributed around New Zealand and are found on sand, silt and mud from low water to depths of around 600 metres. Baited whelk pots are used to target them. Knobbed whelks are also taken as a bycatch in the scallop, dredge oyster and bottom trawl fisheries. There have been no reported commercial landings of knobbed whelk from the west coast of the North Island. Recreational and customary fisheries for knobbed whelk are thought to be either small or non-existent. 22 Mud snails are found on tidal mudflats, in the upper part of the inter-tidal zone. Immersion of the animal underwater only occurs for around one hour at each high tide. Mud snails eat twice their own weight in mud every hour, extracting food material from the mud. There is no known commercial harvesting of mud snail. However, it is an important species to some Maori and there may be some limited recreational harvesting. 23 Octopus is widely distributed around New Zealand in a depth range from low water to 400 metres, although it is more abundant around the South Island. Octopus is landed only as a bycatch from other fisheries and is mainly caught by bottom trawling (when targeting finfish species) and in rock lobster and blue cod pots. In FMAs 8 and 9, they are mainly taken as a bycatch in fisheries targeting trevally, blue cod and rig. Reported commercial landings of octopus on the west coast of the North Island have averaged around tonnes in the past 5 years, almost all of which was taken in FMA 8. There may be an opportunity to develop a target fishery for octopus. Octopus is a known customary resource elsewhere in New Zealand, but this is not thought to be significant on the west coast of the North Island 24 There are three species of oyster covered by this plan: dredge, rock and Pacific. Dredge oyster is the only one which is in the QMS. Dredge oyster are sedentary, long lived, slow growing in some areas, brood relatively few larvae that usually do not disperse widely, and may have high post-settlement mortality. All these traits suggest that the species is vulnerable to over-fishing. Records of reported commercial landings of dredge oyster on the west coast of the North Island are patchy and for very low amounts. The main west coast populations of oysters are found in the harbours, and these are primarily Pacific and rock oysters. In the Manukau and Kaipara harbours there have been problems with infestation of oysters creating access and health and safety problems. While poorly estimated, noncommercial catch of dredge oyster is likely to be less than the commercial catch. There have been no reported landings of Pacific or rock oysters on the west coast of the North Island. 25 Paddle crabs are found off sandy beaches, and in harbours and estuaries throughout mainland New Zealand. They are abundant from the intertidal zone to at least 10 m depth, although they do occur in much deeper water. Anecdotal information suggests there has been a significant increase in paddle crab numbers since the 1970s. Almost all paddle crab catches reported from the west coast of the North Island are in the Manawatu coastal area (statistical area 39). Paddle crab growth is cyclical. In FMA 8 paddle crab landings have fluctuated from under 10 tonnes to nearly 60 tonnes and back again since the late 1980s. This is due to both variable growth and changing market conditions for paddle crab. Although paddle crab in FMA 9 has a TACC of 100 tonnes, reported landings have never reached more than 6 tonnes. Paddle 6

9 crabs are known to be discarded from trawling and set net operations and this is likely to have resulted in under-reporting of catches. Paddle crab is targeted recreationally for bait and for Asian food; it may also be taken as a bycatch. In some areas there are infestation problems with too many paddle crabs causing access and health and safety problems. 26 Pipi, like cockles, are not fished commercially on the West Coast of the North Island. However, they are harvested by recreational and customary fishers for sustenance purposes, mostly in the harbours. In the Auckland area, concern has been expressed about localised depletion of pipi beds due to high fishing pressure from the large number of people who live in close proximity to the beds. Pipi harvesting is more prevalent on the east coast around Auckland but there is some harvesting on west coast beaches such as Mill Bay. Pipi inhabit coarse shell sand in bays and at the mouths of estuaries where silt has been removed by waves and currents. They are found intertidally and subtidally to water depths of at least 7 metres. 27 Scallops are found in a variety of coastal and intertidal habitats, but particularly in semi-enclosed areas where circulating currents are thought to retain larvae. For biological reasons, annual recruitment, mortality and growth rates are all highly variable which means that scallop populations can change markedly from one year to the next. This can occur independently of any fishing pressure. There is no significant commercial fishing for scallops on the west coast of the North Island south of the bottom of Ninety Mile Beach. Scallops from Ninety Mile Beach to North Cape are part of the Northland scallop fishery and are discussed under a separate plan for that fishery. Recreational and customary harvesting of scallops mainly occurs in the Raglan and Manukau harbours, although there is some harvesting of scallops elsewhere along the coast. The main fishing method is dredging although some are also taken by hand gathering. Scallop fishing has been prohibited in the Kaipara harbour since July 2005 due to concerns over stock abundance and sustainability. 28 Sea cucumbers (Stichopus mollis) appear to be relatively robust and able to survive long periods out of water and the impact of dredge and trawl fishing operations which take it as a bycatch. Therefore it is a species that is very likely to survive being returned to the sea after it has been caught. They are found subtidally. The west coast of the North Island provides only limited areas of habitat for sea cucumber, except within the harbours from Kawhia to Herekino. Commercial landings of sea cucumber on the west coast of the North Island have been small. It is not thought that there are significant levels of recreational or customary harvesting of sea cucumber. 29 Surf clams include seven biologically distinct species, each of which has a separate Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limit. They are found in and immediately beyond the surf zone of exposed sandy beaches and are distributed down to depths of 10 metres, although this varies between species and between locations. Not all surf clam species are prevalent in the north-west coast of New Zealand. Surf clam fishing using the right gear can have a minimal impact on the environment of the surf zone; sediments in these zones are continually changing as waves come onto the beach. The use of hydraulic dredges on sheltered areas, however, could modify marine habitats. Commercial fishing for surf clams in FMAs 8 and 9 is limited the only reported landings were 0.3 tonnes of deepwater tuatua in FMA 8 in 2004/05. MFish has estimated that around half of the reported recreational take of tuatua in FMA 8 was in fact deepwater tuatua. It is thought that very little deepwater tuatua was taken recreationally in FMA 9. The customary take of deepwater tuatua has been estimated to be around the same as that of the recreational sector. 7

10 30 Toheroa are found intertidally on beaches, notably Ninety Mile, Dargaville and Muriwai beaches. Less important populations have been recorded at Mitimiti, Whangape, Piha and Pollok. Historically toheroa supported relatively large commercial, recreational and customary fisheries. They were once abundant on exposed surf beaches on the west coast of the North Island but have declined substantially. Commercial harvesting has been prohibited since 1980 in Dargaville and earlier on other beaches and recreational harvesting of toheroa is also prohibited. Customary authorisations may be issued for toheroa harvesting. The amount of authorisations issued varies between areas and levels of customary take are unknown. 31 Tuatua is widespread throughout New Zealand in sandy and soft-bottom habitats, and is most common on North Island beaches. The species is generally found in the intertidal and upper subtidal zones. Tuatua commonly occurs in areas mixed with other surf clam species. Most of the commercial catch in New Zealand has historically been taken in FMA 9, primarily just inside the Kaipara Harbour entrance and previously along parts of Dargaville Beach and Ninety Mile Beach. Annual commercial catches in FMA 9 increased through the early 1990s, but have substantially declined in recent years. This decline is partly a result of several permit holders discontinuing fishing activities on Dargaville Beach in response to decreasing stock abundance and through retirements from the fishery. There have been no recorded commercial catches of tuatua in FMA 9 since the 2003/04 fishing year. Tuatua are an important resource for recreational and customary Maori fishers, especially in the northern part of New Zealand. Tuatua have been subjected to high levels of fishing pressure by noncommercial fishers and can also be damaged by environmental impacts of activities such as urbanisation. In FMA 8, some non-commercial tuatua harvesting takes place on the Kapiti coast. 8