New recreational fishing rules are expected to come into force for Fiordland from January, following a four-year consultation process led by the Fiordland Marine Guardians and Fisheries New Zealand.
Guardians chairwoman Dr Rebecca McLeod said the process began following concerns about sustainability of fish stocks within the fiords.
A collaborative effort from stakeholders led to agreement on a new fishing line which would demarcate bag sizes and other rules for recreational fishing, and the creation of the app Mainland Catch for self-recording of catches.
She hoped the two elements in conjunction would lead to better-informed management of fish stocks in future.
"The fishing line provides a tiered approach to catches, providing balance, where people can catch a feed while allowing stocks to recover.
"The tiered approach means you can take more fish from outside the line than in, incentivising people to go to the open coast if they’re keen to catch more.
"We want to bring the fisheries back to the abundant state they used to be."
The fishing line was based about on the fiord headlands.
Although new app Mainland Catch was voluntary to use at present, Dr McLeod said feedback during consultation led her to believe it would be widely adopted.
"We recommended to Fisheries that it be mandatory, but they weren’t quite ready for that step yet.
"Although it’s voluntary, we think people will appreciate the importance of the data it will help gather.
"[The data] will allow all stakeholders to make better-informed decisions about future regulations, and conserve this amazing resource long into the future for all who enjoy and care about it."
The group had helped design the app, which would be mass field-tested for the first time in Fiordland.
"Predetermined outcomes in consultation processes do not work.
"But after some initial missteps, this has proved to me consultation can work well if done properly, as it has been here by the Guardians.
"There were some genuine concerns about over-exploitation of fish stocks in Fiordland, and I believe these new rules will help address that."
He encouraged anglers to use the app.
"Part of the problem with past rules is they were put in place, and we had no way to measure whether they worked.
"This app addresses that, by feeding back collective data about anglers’ experiences across the region.
Over time, this would provide trends in fish stocks, allowing rules to be adjusted accordingly, he said.
"People shouldn’t be afraid to use it.
"If you don’t use it, then you don’t get to grizzle when it comes time to look at the rules again."
