High Court of New Zealand has passed a ruling which overturns a ministerial ban on commercial set nets in the Marlborough Sounds. The recreational fishermen are unhappy as the commercial fishing industry won a High Court ruling on Friday to put on hold some bans aimed at protecting the rare hectors dolphins.
According to the recreational fishermen these stay order should include them also but they are excluded. After the court order the proposed bans have temporarily been lifted for some areas of the west coast of the North Island, the Marlborough Sounds and at Te Waewae Bay in Southland. However, most bans on set netting, drift netting and trawling around the rest of the country will still go ahead.
Lloyd Hanson, president, Marlborough Recreational Fishers’ Association, informed that the association was “absolutely disgusted” with the decision to allow commercial fishing in some areas but not recreational fishing. He added that there should not be a difference between them. He told that he would be pushing the issue and hoped to gather more support for recreational fishermen before the case is heard later in the year. President of Picton’s Professional Fishers Association Ted Collins expressed the decision is most unfair that one section of the industry should be allowed to continue to fish and others not.
The Federation of Commercial Fishermen and several fishing companies have challenged the restrictions and argued that they did not want to harm the dolphins but only wanted secured seasonal relief where jobs were under immediate threat. However, the conservation groups and Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton have criticized the challenge.
