Benn Winlove, Author at Fish Care

The difference one little squeeze can make to our fishery. What are we talking about? The amount of pressure/time it takes to crush the barb on your hook with a pair of pliers. This one little action can have quite a profound effect on the whole catch and release process. Barbs are designed to keep the fish on the hook so it’s understandable that fishers maybe reluctant to crush them, however, many fishers in other parts of the world successfully use barbless hooks without any noticeable change in catch rates.

Feedback from the field in New Zealand echoes these results. Why does crushing the barb make a difference to the catch and release process? Probably the biggest difference is the fact that the fisher doesn’t have to touch the fish and risk harm in the form of loss of mucus or scales. These are important for the fish because just like our skin, this is the barrier to infection and disease and potential mortality.

If pressure is kept on the fish when being retrieved or played, it is difficult for the fish to throw the hook but a quick reversal of the hook with a pair of pliers quickly releases the fish. When fishing with larger hooks, sometimes pliers aren’t necessary and the unhooking can be done using your fingers. This can be done while the fish is in the water which also makes it safer for the fish. When fish are brought aboard, there’s the risk of it dropping and flapping all over the place or getting burnt on a hot aluminium tread plate floor.

There are other advantages to crushing the barbs on the hook and that is safety for the fisher. The hardest part of removing a hook from soft, stretchy and nerve laden skin is the barb. By removing the barb, removal of the hook is possible without anaesthetic, a bottle of rum or a lot of loud, distressed, shouting and swearing. Fishing can continue for the rest of the day, albeit with some discomfort. If a seabird likewise is accidentally hooked, removal becomes easier.

Photo Credits: Digital Fish

FishCare poll on recreational fishing habits at snapper spawning time

Thank you to all who took part in the LegaSea poll on fisher’s habits at snapper spawning time. We had a good response with lots of enthusiastic comments on the post as well. It’s easy to see that snapper are a favourite amongst fishers.

Snapper conservation is an important topic. While there are legal bag limits and size restrictions in place for recreational fishers, there are also a range of voluntary and cultural practices that individuals employ to play their part in helping conserve snapper stocks. Some individuals will release any healthy, large snapper and some will limit their kill and not kill their limit.

One area of snapper conservation that is often discussed and debated are fishing practices at spawning time. LegaSea’s informal poll was produced to see if and how you and other fishers changed their practices at spawning time.

Facebook Poll Results

25% said they change how they fish and were asked in what way

13.5 % said they didn’t change their fishing practices

43.8 % said they practice the same conservation principles all year round

17.7% said ‘Other’ and offered an explanation

With only 13% saying they didn’t change anything, the other 87% indicated they practiced some kind of snapper conservation, whether it was in spawning season, not in spawning season or other. It is heartening to see such strong awareness and willingness amongst fishers to play a part in helping conserve snapper stocks.

Our poll generated a lot of commentary around the value of a closed season at spawning time, with some supporting blanket restrictions across the board on taking snapper at this time of year.

While LegaSea applauds the courage to do something brave in the name of snapper conservation, such a restriction would require some solid evidence that a closure would increase spawning success and not just reduce access to the fishery when snapper are easiest to catch. Snapper spawning seasons vary, but can run from October to February. Apart from recreational fishers, it would have a serious economic effect on charter operators who depend on snapper for their business and many other operators in the recreational fishing industry.

Many questions arise around this topic and all have merit, for example:

Would a snapper seasonal closure policy yield the desired conservation results and justify the resource to police and enforce?
Would people still fish for other species and have to release all snapper, regardless of their condition?
Would other practices such as slot rules, lower seasonal bag limits, or a widespread education programme on conservation techniques do more to rebuild stocks for the resource expended?

Individuals following their convictions on conservation shows a love and care for the fishery. Passionate fishers holding a conviction or position is understandable, but before insisting that all fishers follow the same practice there needs to be proof that it is an appropriate way for all of us to behave – whether it is by law or part of our fishing culture. LegaSea has drafted a document on the snapper spawning issue as the practices we promote need to be guided by research.

We will be posting our position soon on social media, if you wish to read it now, here is the link: https://fishcare.co.nz/why-do-we-fish-in-spawning-season/

You can view the original poll/post on Facebook here – https://bit.ly/2OBpEMI

We welcome your feedback and any research that can contribute to this conversation. fishcare@legasea.co.nz.

Westcoaster 2016

The 2016 W S Lauries Westcoaster fishing competition was held at Little Huia by the Manukau Sportfishing club. Favourable weather conditions encouraged a high level of support and the event was well attended. This was the first year that arrangements had been made for competitors to donate fish frames and heads to the Papatuanuku Marae. The marae have set up a similar process of utilising fish parts with the Out Board Boating club, a project known as the Kai Ika project.

Lionel Hotene from the marae attended the weigh in and numerous competitors handed over fish frames and heads and several generous people were happy to give away whole fish to the cause of Kai Ika. Lionel then distributed the fish to members of his community who were very grateful for the fish.

The club was eager to work with the marae and utilise all fish that was caught during the competition, ensuring nothing was wasted and that more members of the community could benefit from the event, not just immediate competitors. The event was a great example of utilisation of all fish harvested, the third principle of FishCare.

Maraetai Beach Boat Club Kids Off Couches Fishing Competition

FishCare attended the Maraetai Beach Boating Club ‘Kids off couches’ fishing competition, Feb 2018

The Maraetai Beach Boating Club held its annual ‘Kids off Couches’ fishing competition February 6th 2018. FishCare was there to help educate family fishers about best practices with a focus on proper catch and release techniques. FishCare sponsored a catch and release photo section, which proved to be an effective educational tool in helping fishers understand and practice proper release techniques.

Brochures were included in the competition information package and participants instructed on how to best release fish after capture. A photo showing these techniques being practiced were then submitted for judging, with judges awarding prizes for the photos which showed the best technique combined with overall photograph quality.

A record 130+ participants took to the water, the event’s best attendance yet. The photo competition proved to be an easily accessible section of the competition and 50 entrants submitted photos. A big thank you to the organisers of the competition who strongly promoted the photo section and were key in making participants aware of the FishCare programme.

Hutcwilco New Zealand Boat Show 2017

The annual Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show is NZs largest and longest running fishing and boating event, regularly attracting 30,000+ people. At the 2017 event, FishCare played a big role in LegaSea’s outreach efforts, raising awareness of how recreational fishers can reduce their impact on the fishery. Brochures and chocolate fish were all part of the educational process and the show provided the perfect soft launch venue for the programme.

Members of the public warmly received the information with one comment highlighting the unique gap that FishCare can fill ‘it’s about time something like this was available for fishermen’. An estimated 3000 people were engaged at the busy 4 day event.

Eye on Nature Event 2017

LegaSea attended the Eye On Nature annual 4 day event put together by the Manukau Beautification Charitable Trust, held in the Auckland Botanical Gardens. Themed around nature, the environment, sustainability and community interaction, this year’s event was labelled ‘Edibles – from the ground to the table’.

This was the second year LegaSea had presented, the first event eliciting a very positive response from student participants and organisers who extended an invitation to this year’s event.

FishCare messaging was presented to 1800+ students with education focussing on proper fish handling techniques ie using wet hands, how to hold a fish etc. Real (dead) fish were handled which provoked all kinds of reactions as part of the learning experience. During our interactions with the students, we discovered 85% had not handled a fish before. The FishCare programme provided an excellent starting point for learning about our fishery, the marine environment and how to responsibly interact with it.

The final day of exhibiting took place on Saturday which was family focussed and included utilisation principles. A smoker was employed and whole fish including heads and frames were smoked and given out as part of the education process. A wide range of ethnicities and ages were present during the Saturday event and we interacted with an estimated 2000 members of the public, teaching hands-on lessons and distributing FishCare brochures.