Otago's rock lobster quota will be increased for next season, but by how much is still to be debated, an Otago management committee spokesman says.
CRA7 (Otago) management committee spokesman Roger Bartlett says the increase is the result of successful seasons and management in recent years.
However, the move to a larger quota was "huge" for local fishermen who had been trying to improve the fishery for the past few years.
"We've certainly had spectacular improvement that no other fishery in New Zealand has, although Southland's recovery rate has been huge [too]."
This was due to the restrictions placed on it by the rock lobster quota management area CRA7, which extended from Waitaki River to Nugget Point, and the 20% reduction in the total allowable commercial catch.
"Because of these cuts residue rock lobster on the ground has had a chance to build its numbers."
Fishermen were also throwing back smaller, legal, rock lobster as they graded for larger specimens to achieve better financial returns.
Meetings would be held to discuss the issues surrounding the quota increase including the concern that it might be tempting for fishermen to go back to taking smaller fish to fill their quota.
Options to avoid that included setting a quota level comfortable enough so fishermen would not need to take smaller lobster or setting up some sort of monitoring during the season.
This year's Otago commercial rock lobster season ended on November 20 with the last of the 123-tonne quota caught nearly a month ago.
Fishermen reported pots in July and August delivered the best numbers they had seen in the recent history of the fishery, he said.
"It's been an exceptional season for the fishermen who have witnessed prices as high as $100 a kilo for top-grade rock lobster."
Lobster fishing contributed about $5 million to the Otago economy and it was not thought the "credit crisis" would have an impact, due to lobster's status as a luxury product.
The committee was continuing to push to have the Otago season extended and was hopeful it would be done for next season.
Dunedin's only rock lobster processing company, Fiordland Lobster Otago, area manager Euan MacDougall said the company had processed 120 tonnes of rock lobster with more than 80% of the fish able to be exported live to Asian markets.
To cope with quota increases, the company was building a new factory which it hoped to have fully operational in time for the start of next season.
Marine scientist Bob Street said next season was looking to be just as fruitful as the larvae on the ground had been able to build up.
