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Walk into any fishing club across the county. I can guarantee you two things.

One - you will be in the presence of greatness. Record breaking fish proudly hanging from the walls, and all the stories that go with them. Banter, laughter, camaraderie, and a deep love for the ocean.


Success at the Fish & Chicks
Success at the Fish & Chicks

And two – the table in the corner. The old boys nursing their $6 beers talking about the good old days. The days when you could dive anywhere and be picky about which cray you pulled from the hole. When you could fish the reef just out of the entrance and fill a bin with 50cm+ sized snapper in half an hour. When you could troll for marlin, line ‘em up in South East Bay, turning the entire bay red.

Today we see fewer and fewer fish. The Bay of Plenty – dubbed so by Captain Cook in 1769 because our land and coastline was once rich in natural resources – has now been renamed The Bay of Empty by many who live here.


At first, Aotearoa seems like the land of endless opportunity. Our pristine lakes, lush native forests, the big beautiful blue oceans, even the very air we breathe and water we drink is a shared resource - open to everyone. Yet owned by no one. But as each person takes more for themselves, more land, more fish, more Truffula Trees, the environment begins to deteriorate, and soon, no one has enough to survive.


This is The Tragedy of the Commons.

No longer an idea, but our lived reality. Ultimately it’s a story that could be the downfall of this planet. In essence, it captures the daily conflict between our individual interests, and the bigger collective welfare of our earth, our land, our oceans.

Unregulated access to common resources can ultimately lead to overexploitation. As a collective human race we overuse, over populate and overfish for short term gain, without considering the long-term sustainability of said resources.

This is how we see ecosystems collapse. People lose their way of life. Families struggling to feed themselves in places where food was once plentiful.


I meant no harm, I most truly did not.

But I had to grow bigger. So bigger I got.

I biggered my factory. I biggered my roads. I biggered my wagons. I biggered my loads,

Of the Thneeds I shipped out, I was shipping them forth,

To the South, to the East, to the West, to the North!

I went right on biggering… selling more Thneeds.

And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.

- The Once-ler


The Quota Management System (QMS) was introduced in the 80’s to help combat this issue, with promises to make commercial fishing more profitable, control excessive fishing and reverse the depletion of our inshore fisheries.

Fast forward 40ish years, and it’s past it’s use-by date. The QMS (and the New Zealand government) has turned fish – a wild and public resource into private property rights. It’s allowed a small number of large commercial entities to dominate the industry - pushing out our locally owned, family run commercial operators and recreational fishers.


The QMS focuses heavily on how much is caught - not enough on how it’s caught, or on the health of the bigger ecosystem that supports our fisheries.

Fish are treated like a commodity, something to buy, sell, and max out for profit - instead of what they really are: treasured and vital to both our environment and our way of life here in New Zealand.


But here’s the thing – the commercial fishers out on the water aren’t the bad guys. I know a few, and I am lucky enough to call them friends. They are hardworking Kiwis, trying to provide for their whānau, keep their boats on the water, and pay the bills. Many are small, family-run operations hanging on by a thread.


The issue isn’t with the people on the boats - it’s with the system that rewards volume over sustainability, profit over protection. The fish, the marine environment and the public miss out.

That’s where LegaSea comes in - bridging the gap between us and the government, between the people on the water and the people writing the policies. They’re a not-for-profit fighting for the health of our oceans and the rights of everyday New Zealanders to access them. LegaSea are our watchdogs. Our translators. Our loud, passionate voice in the rooms where decisions are made – that directly affect you and I.


Because let’s be honest – I am not proficient in legalese. I sure as shit don’t know how to dissect a 70-page policy and turn it into a formal submission. But the team at LegaSea do. LegaSea have their finger on the pulse and they break down important processes and issues impacting our coastal fisheries and way of life into bite-sized chunks we can actually understand. They then inform us on how we can easily have a say on these issues.

They’re pro-future. Advocating for more sustainable fishing practices, for robust science based management, and for a future where our fish stocks are abundant - not just for us, but for our kids and their kids too.


So how can you help LegaSea?


Learn. Follow LegaSea on social media and subscribe to receive their online newsletters. Learn about your own fishing practices and target species. Find out where the food you buy is coming from.


Share. Talk about these issues in your club, on your boat, with your whānau. Share sustainable fishing methods with your family. Buy from local operators to share in a win/win situation. Sharing a bottle of Kōparepare wine or a box of Swordfish Mojo also helps 😉


Support. Donate if you can, back their campaigns, spread the word. Remember LegaSea is the public outreach of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council so join and support your local Fishing clubs! Lets get more ladies in there, come to Wild Chix seminars and I will talk.. talk.. talk.. to you all night if you wish 🤣


Fish responsibly. Know your limits, keep your catch in good condition and utilise as much as you can – even if it takes a filleting lesson or a cooking class to learn about using the heads a frames! Download the Free Fish Heads app to share unwanted fish heads and frames with locals who utilise this Kaimoana. Or even better, visit the Kai Ika Project’s filleting station to get your fish filleted by a professional, knowing the frames will be distributed for you.


It's easy to blame others for less fish in the water but are you doing your part? Do you adhere to the limits? Take only what you need? Or do you treat the catch bag limit as a target? Have you ever done any research into the species that you’re targeting so you can better understand the ecological role they play?

I get it. Fishing fever is rampant in my home just as it is in yours. But this is where we encounter the issue. It is so easy to get caught in the excitement, to feed the fire that excites us all, to be the best. That we can often lose sight of what happens next.


Did you know that scallops grow from spat the size of your pinky nail to legal size in just 18 months? But put a dredge through the scallop bed and suddenly you’re not just harvesting adults, you’re wiping out the babies on the ocean floor too.

Or that pāua are like hemophiliacs, and will bleed out with even a tiny nick and die, which is why many freedivers will use blunt knives to remove them from the rocks without causing fatal damage if they are undersize – even better if you measure them before you remove them!


How about that it’s commonly reported that Mahi Mahi form pair bonds, and often where you find one, 9 times out of 10 you can circle back round and catch its mate in the same area…

That marlin are one of the fastest growing pelagic species and can grow several kg’s a month in the juvenile stages?

Butterfish are resident to the area, so continuing to hit the same spot for an extended period of time, and you’ll wipe out the population.


Same can be said for Hapuku – but these guys take around 10 years to reach sexual maturity and can live for over 40. So keep hitting that same Puka hole year after year and soon enough there won’t be any left there to catch…

I have been really lucky in my lifetime and caught some pretty incredible fish over my years on the water. Fished my fair share of comps, yet never strung up a marlin. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a lit up stripey swimming away with a tag in it. It’s a mutual respect - thank you for the adrenaline rush. Thank you for the story. Thank you for heading back out there to make more baby marlins ❤️ (Unpopular opinion maybe, but I reckon tag and release comps are the future for our clubs.).



In saying that, every season our boat would land one. For the freezer, to share with friends, and to sustain our family. It’s always about balance. Ultimately, we want the fish to just keep swimming, just keep swimming, what do we do we swim swim swim… So we can do what we love and catch them! Thanks Dory ☺️


And at that very moment we heard a loud whack!

From outside in the fields came a sickening smack

Of an axe on tree. Then we heard the tree fall.

The very last Truffula Tree of them all!

- The Once-ler


The tragedy of the commons isn’t just a theory in a textbook, or a Lorax in a bedtime story. It’s happening now. But it’s not too late. Yet. Educate yourself, understand the impact that you can have. There are so many things out of our control when it comes to government policies, large scale commercial fishing boats, and even catch limits.


But what is in your control is YOUR voice. YOUR boat. YOUR club.

Just because we’ve always done something a certain way, doesn’t always make it right. I am not here to judge anyone or ram my opinions down your throat. I have always been pro-choice and I simply love the science behind this stuff, and sharing that with people. If you’ve made it this far through this article, then that’s enough for me. I am simply grateful for your time. If you go out fishing tomorrow and put even just one of those breeding-sized snapper back, I’ll take that as a huge win. If you buy your fish or bait or tackle from local fishers, then know that you have made this girl a happy one. And if you share the message and look after our oceans for the next generation, then I know our great grandbabies will forever be grateful for you, that they will be able to land a marlin and taste crayfish.


It’s not about making big dramatic changes that will reshape the future overnight. It’s about each and every one of us making 1% changes as and when you can - and if you want too.

Small. Consistent. Conscious. ❤️


Unless.

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.

It’s not.

- The Lorax


S x


 
 
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