According to the information revealed by the government Marlborough blue cod fishery season for summer ahs started. Field Operations Manager Ian Bright said Fishery Officers would out to make sure that the fishermen are following new rules that were introduced earlier this year. He said that the season in the Marlborough Sounds Area (MSA) opens on Tuesday 20 December and runs till the end of August next year.
The key rules for the MSA are as follows:
No fisher may possess more than two blue cod, between 30 and 35 centimetres in length
A two-hook per line limit
A requirement that blue cod must remain in a whole or gutted state at all times while on the water
No fishing at all around Maud Island.
A voluntary code of practice is also in place with recommended hook sizes and styles, as well as fish handling methods, to minimise release mortality. He told that there are good reasons for the new rules and Fishery Officers will be working with fishers to make sure these are understood and being followed. Bright added that scallops must be landed in the shell, and cannot be shucked or shelled seaward of the high water mark.
