David and Goliath battle looms over West Coast fishery

1.00pm

A David and Goliath battle is looming off the North Island's west coast as commercial fishermen slug it out with Russian trawlers under contract to New Zealand companies.

Raglan skipper Mark Hartstone claims the big Russian-owned fishing vessels could devastate the fishery and spell the end of smaller New Zealand-owned fishing companies.

Mr Hartstone says a fleet of 120m Russian boats contracted to Sealord Fisheries is stripping west coast waters of food chain species and netting thousands of snapper before they can spawn in-shore.

The trawlers would also have a detrimental economic impact on New Zealand commercial fishers, he warns.

"It could get nasty. West coast fishermen want to protect their livelihoods. There's a lot of ill-feeling. It's Kiwi fish, Kiwi jobs."

New Zealand boats operating in-shore were restricted to 43m, he said.

The Russians were operating legally within their regulated area, but "right up to the in-shore line".

While New Zealand fishermen working in-shore had 4.5m-deep nets, the Russian boats had 40-60m-deep nets designed to catch smaller fish in deeper waters.

"Our nets have a 125mm mesh, theirs are about 75mm," Mr Hartstone said.

"They've been fishing into 100m of water and taking up half the sea depth, the depth where all the in-shore species are at in the winter and spring -- john dory, terakihi, snapper, barracuda, squid, gurnard and school sharks."

While the Russian boats were targeting jack mackerel, they would also take a considerable by-catch of other species.

Kiwi jobs were on the line, Mr Hartstone said, and the Fisheries Ministry was ill-equipped to monitor the Russian trawlers' catch.

Mr Hartstone said contracting Russian boats and crew was more economic for companies such as Sealord, and New Zealand commercial fishermen could not compete.

"When I see these big trawlers out there... -- My son wanted to become a fisherman and I'm concerned there won't be a healthy in-shore fishery for him to work."

Fisheries Ministry scientist Graham McGregor said the Russian trawlers usually chased jack mackerel during the winter months only and much further south. This year, they had moved north, working between Muriwai and the north Taranaki bight.

The issue was complicated by the Russians now fishing in spring and early summer, when snapper moved in-shore to spawn. However, it was uneconomic for them to take large quantities. "If they catch too much, they pay a deemed value penalty," Mr McGregor said.

The effect on the marine food chain and other species was factored into fishing quotas.

There were only enough ministry observers to monitor 10 per cent of the total fishing fleet at any one time, he said.

New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen head Doug Loder said the Russian boats were operating legally, but there was a moral issue involved.

"We have initiated an independent economic analysis for the likes of Mr Hartstone," Mr Loder said.

Sealord Group spokeswoman Merrill Coke said the company had no comment, other than to say Sealord vessels were "fishing outside the line and operating legally".

- NZPA