Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan Review

Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan Review Discussion Document TONGARIRO WHANGANUI TARANAKI CONSERVANCY Published by: Department of Conservation Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki Conservancy Turanga Place Private Bag TURANGI Page 1 of 15

Contents Introduction 3 The Review Process 4 Taupo Fishery Framework 5 Fishery Values 7 Key Issues 8 Conclusion 11 Feedback Form 12 Page 2 of 15

1 Introduction The purpose of this document is to encourage discussion and invite suggestions from key stakeholders and the public in preparation for the review of the Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan (TSFMP). This discussion document outlines the review process and provides an early opportunity for public involvement. It contains a brief summary of the administration of the fishery and its values but more importantly, highlights some of the key management issues facing the Taupo fishery into the future. The issues outlined in this discussion document are not a definitive list but do represent a potential shift in the way some aspects of the fishery are managed. Anglers or other interested parties are encouraged to respond to any or all of the key issues detailed in this discussion document. We look forward to hearing your views on these key issues as well as any others you think should be addressed during the review process and we will take these into account in preparation of the draft TSFMP. A copy of the discussion document, and the feedback form are available from the Department of Conservation s website: www.doc.govt.nz. A feedback form is also included at the back of this discussion document. Please post, fax or email it to: Department of Conservation Private Bag Turangi Phone: 07 384 7159 Fax: 07 386 7086 Email: jwebb@doc.govt.nz Attn: Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan Discussion Document The closing date for comments is Friday 8 July 2011 Page 3 of 15

2 The Review Process The review process, including the informal and formal processes (as per Section 17M of the Conservation Act 1987) are as follows: 1 The discussion document will be available to all interested parties and used to facilitate informal feedback. Your feedback will help us write the draft Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan. 2 The Department of Conservation (the department) will meet with specific groups and organisations on request. 3 A draft TSFMP will be prepared by the department giving due consideration to the feedback from the discussion document process and in consultation with Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board (TMTB) and the Taupo Fishery Advisory Committee (TFAC). 4 Notification of the draft TSFMP will be advertised in local and national papers, and on the department s website. Submissions from the public will be invited for a period not less than 40 working days after the publication of this notice. The draft TSFMP will be made available for inspection during normal office hours at the: Department of Conservation Reception Tauranga Place Turangi It will also be available on the department website at: www.doc.govt.nz/tsfmp 5 Public meetings will be held in Turangi and Taupo to discuss the draft TSFMP. The department will meet with specific groups and organisations on request. If there is demand, public workshops on key issues will be held. 6 Submitters who wish to present their submissions, views and additional evidence will have an opportunity to attend a hearing convened by the department. 7 The department will consider all comments and submissions received and amend the draft TSFMP as it sees appropriate. A summary of submissions will be prepared. 8 The department will then forward the draft TSFMP and the summary to the Minister for his/her approval. Page 4 of 15

3 Taupo Fishery Framework In 1987 the Government required sports fish and gamebird management to be fully user funded. Regional Fish and Game Councils were established which manage gamebirds nationally and sports fish in all districts except the Taupo fishing district. The Taupo Sports Fishery is administered and managed by the department under the Conservation Act 1987. This Act along with the Taupo Fishery Regulations 2004 guide fishing in the Taupo District. Fishing regulations are also subject to the provisions of issuing licences as identified in Section 14 (9)(c) of the Maori Land Amendment and Maori Land Claims Adjustment Act 1926. The Conservation Law Reform Act 1990 established conservation management strategies as the primary planning documents for all areas managed by the department. The Tongariro/Taupo Conservation Management Strategy (CMS) sets objectives for the integrated management of natural and historic resources within the conservancy. The Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan (TSFMP) can not derogate from the CMS. From 2012 this management will sit under the new CMS which the department will be reviewing. The Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan details how the fishery is to be managed. The main outcome is for the fishery to be sustainably managed to provide for a healthy trout population for the foreseeable future. The management of the fishery includes (but is not limited too) the following functions: - Administration This includes primarily community relations and service functions including budget management. - Planning This incorporates business, operational and project plans on an annual basis but also includes long term strategic and management plans. - Survey and Monitoring Lake and river Creel satisfaction and harvest surveys are undertaken annually but there is also a great deal of population monitoring via fish traps, escapement counts (drift dives), minnow trapping and electric fishing for juveniles, river access surveys (for fish and anglers), smelt monitoring, aquatic pests monitoring and the 5 yearly harvest survey which monitors the harvest from the fishery across a full year. - Tongariro National Trout Centre In many ways TNTC is the flagship for the Taupo fishery and is run by the department in conjunction with the TNTC Society and Genesis Energy. The site includes a fully functional hatchery facility, integrated education programmes with a full time teacher, activities and functions such as children s fishout days, displays and interpretation, the TNTC Society Visitor Centre (which includes a museum and library) and the Genesis Energy National Page 5 of 15

Freshwater Aquarium displaying New Zealand indigenous freshwater flora and fauna. - Research Much of the fishery research centres around management of the trout populations themselves although the department does work in close unison with other research organisations and universities undertaking work on freshwater ecosystems or trout population dynamics. - Compliance and Law Enforcement Staff are involved in both proactive (eg license checks) and reactive compliance and law enforcement. Most are warranted conservation officers enabling the enforcement of not only the Taupo Fishery Regulations but also the provisions of the Conservation Act 1987. Response personnel are available to attend compliance issues 24 hours a day and there is a dedicated Area Compliance Officer to deal with offences, prosecutions and facilitate CLE operations and training. - Licensing Licence issuing, sales and agency management is a primary service role and a core function as Taupo fishery management is completely funded by fishing licence sales. - Visitor Asset Management This includes track and structure construction and maintenance, removal of obstructions to fish migration and angling access. - Habitat Habitat monitoring, protection and advocacy is important and the department works closely with electricity suppliers, river and lake users, schools and the general public to promote and maintain sustainable habitats and quality fresh water. - Advocacy Advocacy about aspects of the fishery is key to keeping stakeholders and the public informed. The department uses media release programmes, publications (eg Target Taupo), interpretive signs, education programmes, seminars and public forums as tools for fishery advocacy. There are a number of organisations that the department works with regularly which guide and provide advice on fishery management decisions. These organisations are as follows: Taupo Fishery Advisory Committee (TFAC) The Taupo Fishery Advisory Committee (TFAC) is mandated under the Taupo Fishery Regulations 2004 to advocate for Taupo sport fishing interests and facilitate communication between the Department and anglers. Its role is also to advise the Department and Minister of Conservation on matters affecting the Taupo Fishery. Ngati Tuwharetoa (Tuwharetoa Maori Trust Board) Page 6 of 15

Ngati Tuwharetoa s input is fundamental to the viability of the Taupo Sports Fishery. This is because Ngati Tuwharetoa are the owners of the bed of Lake Taupo and its tributaries. Ngati Tuwharetoa and the Crown are parties to the Maori Land Amendment and Maori Land Claims Adjustment Act 1926 which provides extensive access along the shoreline of Lake Taupo and restricted access for licensed anglers along designated river banks. Formalising this relationship in law created the relationship between Ngati Tuwharetoa and the Crown and is the principle reason why the Department continues its role as the Taupo Sports Fishery manager, rather than delegate it to the New Zealand Fish and Game Council. Page 7 of 15

4 The Taupo Sports Fishery Values Recreational and Social Values The Taupo Sports Fishery (the fishery) includes Lake Taupo and its tributaries, the Waikato River down to Huka Falls, Lakes Moawhango, Otamangakau and Rotoaira. The strength of the fishery is that it is a 'yearround' fishery providing exciting winter river fishing and excellent summer fishing on the lakes. Within a relatively small geographic area, anglers can enjoy a variety of fishing styles depending on the time of the year and their preferred method. Also within the same area is a variety of angling environments - from the strong currents and pools of the Tongariro River, to summer boat fishing on Lake Taupo, or the complete solitude of Lake Kuratau. The region enjoys pristine freshwater by international standards and stunning vistas of the Kaimanawa Mountain range and the volcanic peaks of Tongariro National Park. Property Rights for Iwi Ngati Tuwharetoa own the bed of Lake Taupo and the riverbeds of its tributaries. In 1992 the Crown vested ownership of the beds back to Ngati Tuwharetoa. It is essential that Iwi is fully involved in the management and use of the freshwater fishery. Since the introduction of trout and then smelt to sustain the trout population, both species have become a surrogate to koaro harvests and a valuable food source for local Iwi. The department has worked with Ngati Tuwharetoa to manage a small harvest of smelt whilst ensuring the sustainability of smelt as the primary trout food. This relationship is also formalised by regular fishery management meetings and a willingness to work in a co-management framework. Economic Values The Taupo Sports Fishery contributes significantly to the Taupo District s recreational and social values. As a visitor based fishery, licence holders contribute greatly to the local economy. This is because anglers generally stay in the district when they are fishing which therefore benefits the local tourist and commercial industry. Anglers usually stay for more than one night and are regular holiday makers in the region. Revenue derived directly from the fishery is estimated at around $90m per annum. Page 8 of 15

The department s vision is to make New Zealand the greatest living space on earth. Two of the ways of doing that is to promote recreational use and contribute to the economic prosperity of the region. This means we need to work with the tourism industry and other appropriate organisations in the Taupo catchment to ensure anglers have a great experience in the region when fishing here whilst at the same time ensuring the sustainability of the fishery. 5 Key Issues 5.1 Increased Participation Declining participation in the Taupo fishery is an issue with potentially far reaching implications. There is an aging demographic using the fishery and recruiting people into it is becoming challenging. The reasons for this decline are many and varied but include economic factors, the influence of changing technologies, competition from new activities, less handing down of fishing knowledge through the generations and urban shift. Management of the fishery is revenue driven, that is, funded by revenue from licence sales. A continued declining participation may therefore result in the delivery of a lesser management service than we currently have. If the level of management is to be maintained, either the cost of licenses will need to increase or more anglers using the fishery is needed. Further, there is a cost in the recruitment and promotional programmes required to increase participation which will need to be covered by license revenue. Increased participation will also engender greater support for the fishery and environment in the face of conflicting pressures. However some may not consider declining participation in the Taupo fishery a bad thing. Perhaps fewer anglers on the rivers or lake are desirable even though this might come at the expense of management delivery, or alternatively, increased license costs. The current TSFMP states that managers will Encourage increased participation in the fishery by children, non-licence holders and future anglers. This is fairly generalist and is currently being satisfied by our education and advocacy programmes, but should more be done? So in response to this issue: 1. Do anglers consider declining participation good or bad for the Taupo fishery? Why? Page 9 of 15

2. Should the TSFMP provide more impetus for the recruitment of anglers, particularly children, to the Taupo fishery or the sport of angling in general? What are your suggestions about how this might be achieved? 3. Should the TSFMP change direction and allow for much more active promotion and marketing of the Taupo fishery? 5.2 Taupo, Wild Fishery or Not From a biological point of view the broad and healthy gene pool afforded by maintaining Taupo as a wild fishery is very desirable. There are also very significant cost benefits if the fishery can be sustained by natural spawning rather than hatchery releases. Until now the TSFMP has been very specific about maintaining this and states [the department shall] manage the trout populations as wild self sustaining populations and further avoid manipulation of the gene pool by selective culling or breeding. As a consequence of this the raising and release of hatchery fish into the Taupo catchment has generally been reserved for nothing except the most catastrophic of circumstances such as destruction of the spawning habitat by a volcanic eruption or decimation of the population by disease. Even during the recent low points in fishery, the recruitment of young trout out of the rivers has been large. Problems have only started to occur once these fish have migrated to the lake. Therefore there is no benefit from stocking per-say because there simply hasn t been enough food for the available fish. However, vigorous debate has occurred in recent years over whether the TSFMP should allow some stocking or selective manipulation of the trout population to occur in certain circumstances. For example, there is now strong evidence that the spawning runs, particularly in the Tongariro system are becoming increasingly later in the year. Indications are that there is a significant sector of the angling community that would like to see a restoration of the Autumn spawning runs in this river; and there may be some management benefits for this as well. Although not the only cause, some preliminary work by PhD student Elizabeth Heeg shows that genetics may influence the timing of spawning in trout. It is possible to mitigate the lack of Autumn fish somewhat by regulation (ie protection of the early run fish). Indeed regulation changes will be essential if a return to earlier runs is to be achieved. However, the research does raise the question of whether the TSFMP should also provide sufficient flexibility for fishery managers to allow isolation and breeding of fish to improve the fishery. Impacts on the fishery as a whole would have to be assessed but in the case of the Tongariro River, potentially using offspring from trout genetically predisposed to spawning early in order to restore Autumn runs could be an appropriate tool. Page 10 of 15

The early run fish in the Tongariro River is just one example where manipulation might be potentially beneficial and there are sure to be others come to the fore as time progresses. So in response to this issue: 1. In circumstances that benefit the Taupo fishery, should the TSFMP give some scope to fishery managers to allow stocking or selective manipulation of the trout populations? 2. Would you be prepared to consider some more stringent regulations in the short to medium term to assist a return to earlier runs in the Tongariro River? 5.3 Ecosystem Management Fishery managers understand that management of the Taupo fishery is not solely reliant on management of the trout populations but the wider ecosystem as a whole. In the past the department took the view that other agencies were mandated to investigate and monitor the wider aspects of water quality and ecology in the Taupo catchment and so management concentrated on the trout populations. However, understanding ecosystems and food webs in the Taupo system as a whole, from plankton to trout as the apex predator is still not well understood and requires further investigation. These aspects appear to be as important to understand as the trout themselves; the recent downturn in the fishery highlights this. Therefore perhaps there is a need for the TSFMP to mandate the ability to undertake research outside of the trout population specifically. So in response to this issue: 1. Should the TSFMP allow for licence revenue to be used for research outside of the trout populations alone to better understand the ecosystems that impact on Taupo fishery? 5.4 Management of the Lake Otamangakau fishery For the last four decades the Lake Otamangakau fishery has become internationally renowned mainly for its potential to produce large trophy sized fish. But over the last decade the population dynamics of the trout in the lake have been changing from one that contains small numbers of very large trout to one that contains large numbers of smaller fish, albeit still nice by most standards. Page 11 of 15

There is now up to 7 times more fish in the lake annually than there were in the mid 1990 s. So anglers of Lake Otamangakau are at a crossroads. Should the fishery be managed as a trophy fishery or should the current situation prevail smaller well conditioned fish that are more plentiful and easier to catch? The current TSFMP requires that the department maintain and enhance the trophy status of the rainbow and brown trout populations of Lake Otamangakau If anglers want this policy to remain it is inevitable that some selective manipulation of the fish at Lake Otamangakau will have to take place. In some ways it links this issue with that in 5.2 being able to selectively manipulate or cull the population. So in response to this issue: 1. Should the Lake Otamangakau fishery continue to be managed as a trophy fishery? 2. If a trophy fishery at Lake Otamangakau is desirable, should the TSFMP allow for the selective manipulation of the trout populations to achieve this? 6 Conclusion This discussion document summarises some of the key issues which the department has identified at this early stage of the Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan review. This is the first step in the planning process. Other issues will undoubtedly emerge through the review. Please do not limit your suggestions to the issues covered here. We encourage you to make suggestions at this early stage so that our draft plan currently being developed is as inclusive as possible. Although limited room for a written response is provided on the hard copy of the feedback form, feel free to write as much as you want on separate paper. You will also have another opportunity to comment and submit on the draft plan once it is published. Page 12 of 15

Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan Discussion Document Informal Feedback Form Please be sure to enter your contact information so we can contact you when the formal process will be notified for public submission Name Organisation Position Postal Address Phone Fax Email How do I forward my feedback? Email your comments to jwebb@doc.govt.nz or complete the on line submission form Fax your comments to (07) 386 7086 Post to Taupo Sports Fishery Management Plan Review Department of Conservation Private Bag TURANGI 3353 Organise a meeting to discuss your comments or queries by phoning John Webb on (07) 384 7159 Please note the period for informal feedback closes on Monday 2 May 2011 at 4pm. Page 13 of 15

Taupo Sports Fishery Discussion Document Informal Feedback Form Issue Question Your Response Are there any other options? 5.1 - Increased Participation 1. Do anglers consider declining participation good or bad for the Taupo fishery? Why? 2. Should the TSFMP provide more impetus for the recruitment of anglers, particularly children, to the Taupo fishery or the sport of angling in general? Are there any suggestions about how this might be achieved? 3. Should the TSFMP change direction and allow for much more active promotion and marketing of the Taupo fishery? 5.2 - Taupo, Wild Fishery or not 1. In circumstances that benefit the Taupo fishery, should the TSFMP give some scope to fishery managers to allow stocking or selective manipulation of the trout populations? 2. Would you be prepared to consider some more stringent regulations in the short to medium term to assist a return to earlier runs? Page 14 of 15

Issue Question Your Response Are there any other options? 5.3 Ecosystem Management 5.4 Management of the Lake Otamangakau Fishery 1. Should the TSFMP allow for licence revenue to be used for research outside of the trout populations alone to better understand the ecosystems that impact on Taupo fishery? 1. Should the Lake Otamangakau fishery continue to be managed as a trophy fishery? 2. If a trophy fishery at Lake Otamangakau is desirable, should the TSFMP allow for the selective manipulation of the trout populations to achieve this? 3. If selective manipulation of the Lake Otamangakau trout populations is required to maintain the trophy status of the fishery, and in keeping with Issue 5.4, Iwi Harvest, should the TSFMP allow for some of these fish to be donated to iwi for use at hui? Signature Date Page 15 of 15