Dear Editor
Having been a long-time subscriber, ‘Editor’s Note’ is always of interest.
Your September [2023] issue on more marine protection areas as are being proposed was of special interest to me.
Having sailed the Hauraki Gulf and Northland for the last 30-plus years I have witnessed first-hand the decline of fish stocks and of vegetation on our reefs. This I believe is all due to decades of recreational and commercial over-fishing.
This was particularly noticeable on my last trip to Whangaroa. It had been 30 years since my previous trip that far north, and I had memories of huge schools of blue maomao. I was lucky to see one or two, all replaced by kina barrens. After sailing single-handed from Napier, I was bitterly disappointed in what can only be described as the destruction of our beautiful coastline. No doubt the nearby Whangaroa Marina has had a huge impact.
The question must be asked: why have local councils had to step in to help protect our marine environment?
Of course, the answer is simple – the Ministry of Fisheries [Ministry of Primary Industries] has failed big-time and should be held accountable.
It is the MOF [MPI] that has allowed both recreational and commercial fishermen to legally rape our coastline for decades.
It is our own human greed that has caused the necessity of marine protection areas, and until there is a responsible body to protect our fisheries and re-educate our attitude to fishing, everyone will continue to lose.
David Holmes,
Napier.
