36 people based in Te Anau will be employed as divers over the next 2 years to eliminate Undaria from Taiari/Chalky Inlet and contain it within Te Puaitaha/Breaksea Sound. Full diver training will be provided to successful applicants to complete a Worksafe New Zealand Scientific Diver Certificate of Competence.
Environment Southland are advertising the trainee diver roles now, with applications closing on 7 June 2021.
A $2m funding boost is set to turn the tide in Fiordland’s battle against the invasive seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (Undaria).
Acting Conservation Minister Ayesha Verrall today announced the funding through the Jobs for Nature programme, which will see around 36 people employed in the wider Te Anau community over the next two years.
Partners of the Fiordland Undaria control programme, including Environment Southland, the Department of Conservation, the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Fiordland Marine Guardians have been trying to contain Undaria in Te Puaitaha Breaksea Sound for years, but it has become apparent that a refreshed approach requiring a significant financial investment was required for the response to be successful.
Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips said the announcement is great news for the region, heralding positive outcomes for the pristine waters and unique biodiversity of the Fiordland Marine Area, and Te Anau’s community.
“Businesses in Fiordland are hit particularly hard by the absence of international tourism due to Covid-19. This funding means we’ll be able to re-deploy tourism and dive operators in the area to supercharge the existing Undaria control programme.”
Members of the community will be able to apply for the roles and obtain scientific diver certificates, to enable them to dive for Undaria plants in a search-and-destroy mission.
Fiordland Marine Guardians chair Dr Rebecca McLeod said that although Undaria is now commonplace around much of New Zealand's coastline, the Guardians are not prepared to accept it as a feature of the underwater world in Fiordland.
“Fiordland is renowned for its stunning, colourful and fragile marine life. Without intensive effort such as that afforded by this funding, we fear that Undaria will smother iconic species like the black coral, thus changing the ecosystem forever.
“This fund will result in local people becoming skilled underwater biosecurity technicians, and in collaboration with local vessel operators and tourism companies, the community can come together to protect Fiordland from what was an inevitable ecological disaster."
The project aims to contain Undaria within Breaksea Sound, and completely eliminate it from Chalky Inlet.
The purpose of this survey is to help the Fiordland Marine Guardians build a broader picture of the experiences and concerns of those who fish in the Fiordland Marine Area (FMA).
We want to understand fishers’ concerns about fisheries sustainability, the current health of recreational fish stocks and overall fishing experience in the FMA as we develop recommendations to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.
Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research is conducting this survey on behalf of the Guardians. It should take less than 15 minutes. Participation in the survey is voluntary. The results are anonymous.
We will consider the results from this survey alongside input from two focus group hui before making recommendations to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Hon. David Parker, in mid-2021.
The survey results will also be made available via our website.
Complete the survey HERE
Complete our Fiordland Fisheries Sustainability survey this January
Over the past 18 months, the Fiordland Marine Guardians have put considerable effort into investigating fishers’ concerns about fisheries sustainability in the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area. Universal among these concerns is the decline of the overall fishing experience; the lack of good recreational fishing data to support effective management; and biosecurity threats due to pressure from climate change and increasing human interaction.
The black hole in recreational fishing data is, indeed, a major stumbling block to maintaining and improving the fishery for everyone to use and enjoy, including future generations.
If you have the privilege to fish regularly in Fiordland, regardless of where, what, or how, your input is vital to building a shared understanding of the current health of key recreational fish stocks like blue cod/rawaru and hāpuku. The Fiordland Marine Guardians also want to hear about your wider fishing experience in the Fiordland Marine Area.
Your opportunity to contribute to this important work is coming up next month via an on-line survey between 20 January and 10 February 2021.
We will consider these survey results alongside the outcomes from two focus groups (one for Amateur Charter Vessel operators and one for independent recreational fishers) and present their recommendations to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Hon. David Parker, in June 2021.
Off the back of our first workshop, Amateur Charter Vessel operators in Fiordland established a voluntary code of practice that aims to move fishing effort to the outer fiords and reduce fishing in the internal waters with the industry, promoting a culture of only ‘fishing for a feed’ to eat onboard. Our advice to the (then) Minister of Fisheries, Hon. Stuart Nash, about this sector, has led to a commitment by government to trial electronic reporting (and possibly position reporting) for ACVs. Operators from Fiordland will be invited to take part in a trial of the new system to ensure it is effective and easy to use.
How to Complete the Fiordland Fisheries Sustainability survey
Fiordland has always led the way with community-driven initiatives. We are committed to working collaboratively with you to give these fish stocks the protection they require over the next 20+ years.
If you receive e-mail updates and newsletter from the Fiordland Marine Guardians, you will be sent an electronic link to the survey on 20 January. The same applies if you hold a current Clean Vessel Pass for the FMA or are a member of Fish Mainland.
• Not on the FMG e-mail list? Contact info@fmg.org
• The link will also be available here and advertised in the February edition of The Fishing Paper & Hunting News.
Following consultation, the Minister of Fisheries has made decisions on blue cod regulations for both recreational and commercial fishing.
The minister has decided to:
Note: The traffic light system assigns a colour rating to different areas in the South Island and the Chatham Islands. The rating can be changed as available information suggests stock health is improving or declining. The following blue cod bag limits apply to the areas:
These measures will apply from 1 July 2020.
