Crayfish take to be near-halved

Commercial crayfish catches off the Wairarapa coast will be near halved in the coming season with a voluntary cut in the annual $10 million take announced on Friday.
CRA 4 Rock Lobster Industry Association spokesman Daryl Sykes said industry support for the proposal to cut their catch limit in the CRA 4 area for the new season had "exceeded the 95 per cent threshold earlier agreed as the trigger for implementation".
CRA 4 is a quota management area that includes Wairarapa, Wellington and Hawke's Bay. The commercial catch in the area has a landed value in excess of $16 million, Mr Sykes said, with about 70 per cent of that total caught off the Wairarapa coast.
He said the limit from April would be 335 tonnes, a reduction from the immediate past limit of 577 tonnes. A CRA 4 Decision Rule will set catch limits in the area each November over five years as determined by stock assessment scientists in consultation with the industry, he said.
Mr Sykes said the rule would also be set from a range of fishery performance data including catches and catch rates, and will generate recommended catch limits for the subsequent season based on observed stock abundance.
Stock assessment scientists have suggested the rule be reviewed at the end of the first five-year term of operation, he said, with the reduced commercial catch limit will be progressively refined over that period.
"The industry initiative includes the development and evaluation of fishing strategies based on area or time closures, improved fishery data collection systems, and greater attention to harvest and handling techniques."
Mr Sykes said similar initiatives are also being developed by other regional rock lobster commercial stakeholder organisations.
"This is an industry initiative that has been very carefully considered and evaluated by all CRA 4 quota share-owners", Mr Sykes said.
"Every aspect of the recommended CRA 4 Decision Rule and the catch limits generated by it has been under intense scrutiny over the past two months," he said.
"The social and economic consequences for them reducing the CRA 4 commercial catch limit have been well considered by industry players. They have determined that the short-term costs are outweighed by the medium to longer-term benefits, for the fishery, for industry and for all legitimate user groups."
The Wairarapa commercial crayfishing fleet comprised 65 vessels at the peak of the 2005/06 commercial season, Mr Sykes said, with most boats launching from coastal bases in isolated rural areas.
The harvest initiative is designed to halt an observed stock decline and add value to the commercial landings by increasing the proportion of catches taken in the higher value autumn and winter period from May to September, he said.
For the CRA 4 fishery the present total allowable commercial catch is 577 tonnes, with 85 tonnes set aside for amateur catches, 35 tonnes for customary takes and 75 tonnes allowed for illegal unreported removals "when export market prices are at their peak".
"The industry proposes no changes to existing customary or amateur rock lobster fishing catches but will be working with MFish Compliance to more effectively constrain illegal fishing in the region."
The voluntary catch reduction was registered with Commercial Fisheries Services yesterday and the Minister of Fisheries, Jim Anderton, had been told of the decision.