The Minister for Primary industries, Nathan Guy, announced a change in the number and size of snapper that people can catch. From October 1st, recreational fishers (fishermen and women) can only catch seven snapper each day and they must be at least 30cm long. At the moment, they are allowed 10 snapper each which are at least 27cm. Snapper are our most popular fish for eating but they are mostly found in the north of New Zealand.
Many people are not happy about this change. They say that about 40% of people who like to go fishing do not have a boat so they fish from the shore. It is not so easy to catch big fish from the shore.
They also say that commercial fishing often wastes fish. If commercial fishers use a net which drags along the bottom of the sea, they catch many small fish. These small fish are thrown back into the sea, but sometimes they die. The Minister said there will be cameras on commercial boats to check this.
The change in the law will affect Snapper 1 Fishery Area which is from the top of eastern Northland to the Bay of Plenty. Each year, scientists check fish numbers. They believe that the number of snapper in this area has decreased and there could be a problem for future generations.
Fishing is a popular recreation in New Zealand. About 30% of New Zealanders go fishing in the weekends.
Vocabulary
• recreational – leisure activity, for enjoyment
• fishers – people who fish, both male and female
• shore – beach
• commercial – to sell, usually to export
• waste – don’t use
• drag – pull
• future generations – our children and grandchildren
Note: For many activities, we say “go” e.g. “go fishing”, “go shopping”, “go walking”, “go cycling”, “go skiing” but for sports which use a ball, we say, “play” e.g. “play basketball”, “play tennis”.