Fish and Game has confirmed it will introduce the designated water licence system this coming season.
The freshwater fishing season begins on October 1, though some of the designated systems do not begin until November 1.
The designated waters licence system and the controlled fisheries system replace the backcountry licence system.
The systems cover waters which are high in demand by anglers and in isolated areas. Rivers such as the Hunter and Nevis Rivers in Otago are in the designated system. Otago, with nine rivers, has the highest number of rivers of any region under the new systems.
Fish & Game NZ chief executive Corina Jordan said in a release the new system was built around New Zealand anglers getting a fairer share of their waterways.
"The new licence category will help us manage angling pressure by spreading angling effort around so that it isn’t concentrated in certain areas, which detracts from the angling experience and also has the potential to negatively impact the fisheries."
Over the last 10 years, Fish & Game has received more complaints from resident and non-resident anglers regarding overcrowding in a small number of fisheries that will now be managed through the designated waters licence.
"Our research and monitoring show that a small percentage of non-resident anglers will intensely fish a local area, not only putting pressure on the fishery but also displacing other anglers. We’ve implemented this new fisheries management tool to help address that imbalance."
In some fisheries, angler use has gone from a roughly 50/50 resident-to-non-resident split in the early 2000s to an 80/20 split favouring non-resident anglers.
In most cases, pressure-sensitive fisheries, now managed through the designated waters licence, share common features. The rivers have very clear water, offer excellent sight fishing, hold trout of a large average size, have high scenic value, and are often located in a backcountry setting.
Non-residents will have to pay $40 per day to fish designated waters, and can only purchase a maximum of five designated waters day licences for each Fish & Game region they want to fish in.
Ms Jordan said the per region limit has been chosen because it would not restrict most non-resident anglers, as surveys of non-resident anglers demonstrate the majority do not fish backcountry fisheries — roughly indicative of designated waters.
Those that typically fish these waters spend fewer than four days on backcountry fisheries.
"We really appreciate and value overseas anglers, [and] the contribution they make to the economy, as well as our organisation through purchasing licences, which helps us protect waterways."
A controlled fishery period will apply from February 1-March 31 on the Upper Greenstone River, from the swing bridge at McKellar Hut to the Sly Burn confluence.
The controlled period requires anglers to make a booking in order to fish the Upper Greenstone River. Anglers will have exclusive angling access to a beat of the river for the period of their booking.
Parts of the the Upper Oreti River in Southland is also under the designated waters system.
