|
Fishing News
Cartoon
Today's Crimptoon
Blue Cod Management Group January 2010 progress update
The Blue Cod Management Group has been working hard during October and December on proposals for regulatory tools for Marlborough Sounds blue cod fishery. The range of tools will ensure there is sufficient protection of adult blue cod to spawn and juveniles to grow on in to the fishery. The key tools under consideration include: changes to bag limits, the Minimum Legal Size (MLS), slot fishery management (having a lower and an upper size limit), an open season, no-take zones, decision rules which guide the setting of catch limits based on fish abundance, and limiting the number of hooks used for rod or handline fishing.
The BCMG will submit their refined proposals to the New Zealand Southern Inshore Finfish Working Group for feedback. The Working Group is made up of independent and Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) scientists chaired by MFish that provide fisheries science advice in New Zealand.
The proposals will be refined further during the autumn following completion of research. Currently the group are aiming to have a proposed regulatory and voluntary management framework ready for a public consultation during winter 2010. The results of the consultation and BCMG's work will be used help the Minister of Fisheries decide on how to open all or part of the fishery sooner than October 2012.
In addition, The BCMG have completed a Code of Practice for the Marlborough Sounds fishery to improve understanding of what causes fish to die after being caught and released and give fishers ways to help increase the number of fish that survive. Management Group member and charter operator Mark Baxter says "adopting the Code of Practice gives all fishers and charter operators a good way to help give our blue cod fishery in the inner Sounds the best chance to recover".
This work is very important for the fishery. Information from fishers and some scientific research shows that a relatively high number of undersize blue cod that fishers catch and release end up dying soon after they are let go. Because blue cod are relatively easy to catch some fish can be caught and released several times, which increases the risk that young fish will die before they can spawn or grow large enough to be legally taken.
The BCMG members would like to remind all fishers this summer to ensure they minimise their impact on the fragile blue cod fishery. Please pick up a copy of the Code of Practice and:
Avoid catching small blue cod by using hooks of size 6/0 or bigger, and moving away from areas where undersize blue cod predominate the catch.
Reduce the chances of hook damage - use circle hooks made of fine wire and pinch down the barb with pliers.
Handle fish carefully using wet hands or a cloth and limit the time the fish is out of water.
Cautious release using release tubes or moving away from areas where shags are present.
Management Group Member Eric Jorgensen added "the Code of Practice is a vital tool for the fishery which we are encouraging all fishers to use when fishing in the Sounds. If we can stop returned fish dying today there will be more to catch and enjoy tomorrow".
The Code of Practice can be downloaded from [Ministery of Fisheries:]
for the full details click here
and will be widely available from fishing clubs in the Top of The South Island or below.In addition, you can get a copy from Diana Young at the Ministry of Fisheries' Nelson Office
Click to email here
 Download: DOWN LOAD HERE for the Code of Practice
How to Keep the Wife Happy
by Daryl Crimp
If ever I was going to get a divorce it would be because one of my great attributes is not neatness. Annette is frequently annoyed that I hang my clothes on the bedroom floor and she is constantly reproaching me for the undies beside the bed - if she'd only pick up some of my bad habits, I'd be a happier man.
My disorganisation in the closet follows me onto the boat and I have a devil's own job of keeping my tackle tidy, but thanks to Black Magic, I am not going to get divorced over it. I have had a long association with the New Zealand company and use an extensive range of their products, much of which is manufactured in New Zealand. They have a reputation for delivering top quality gear that lasts and this is important if you want to get the most out of your fishing.
One of my latest acquisitions has proved a winner with the other side of the marriage equation so much so she got several of them - enter the Black Magic jig holder. These little pouches are brilliant, with rugged clear plastic housings for individual lures or jigs and packaged in stylish black heavy-duty synthetic material, they look good, are wear resistant and pack away for easy storage. The holders are sealed by strong Velcro so they won't burst open and another feature is that they open from both sides so the jigs can be accessed easily - brilliant.
They are ideal for a wide range and styles of jigs and lures, especially the long jigs with assist hooks. I store my jigs in different holders according to the type of fishing, which makes targeting fish and changing patterns quick and effortless.
Missus' Stockings Caught Crabs
By Hugh Roberts
Crabbing is productive and great fun, with something caught most outings and as a bonus, the meat is sweet and tender. Paddle crabs are plentiful off Rabbit Island near Nelson from the inter-tidal zone to a depth of 10m. They tend to be more active in the early evening and at night.
Three to four Crab is an easy number to handle, as they collapse to about an inch thick and don't take up a lot of room in the boat. If a boat is not available, they can be walked out at low tide and collected at the next low tide, or easily set and retrieved using a canoe.
The pot comes with a bag to put the bait in, which is best attached to the centre of the pot at the top, with a sinker in it so it hangs down inside the pot. Frozen fish carcasses are good bait, but don't use the excellent Salmon Burley that is available because the crabs just sit downstream of the pot and scoff it as it drifts past. The pots also sometimes need to be weighted a little to keep them on the sea floor.
To prepare the crabs for cooking, humanely kill them by putting them on ice for a couple of hours. On the underside of the crab there is an inverted vee section of shell. If this is lifted and pealed downwards and then lifted and pulled up and over the back of the crab, it will remove the back shell and most of the gut in one motion. Any remaining gills are easily removed and the crabs can be cleaned in seawater. It really is essential that seawater is used for cleaning and cooking as this retains the sea food flavour.
There are a number of ideas on how to cook crabs, but the quickest is to boil them for six minutes. On our last biannual shopping expedition to Christchurch (I am made to go as I can't be trusted at home by myself for too long) I ended up in a sushi bar having a disjointed but entertaining conversation with an old Asian bloke. Among the many things I think we discussed was crabs and how best to cook them. His preferred method was to steam them whole for 40 minutes. I have tried a lot of ways and my is to prepare the crabs first and then steam them for 30 minutes, using a couple of cups of water with a 1/2 tsp of mustard added. When done, cool in the fridge for an hour or so, then pick the meat out of the body and squeeze it out of the legs and claws. Arrange the meat on a plate with a small bowl of black bean sauce. Crab presented this way is considered a delicacy in Thailand.
Sometimes when rod fishing, I find crabs hanging on to the bait and letting go just as they near the surface, so I tie a small amount of binding twine around one of the baited hooks. This has two benefits: one, it stops the crabs from swiping the bait and two, it snags them long enough to be brought aboard. I have been experimenting with the missus' stockings lately with interesting results (instead of binding twine)! The crabs get hooked in the nylon long enough for them to be bought aboard and are easier to untangle.
|
Daryl Crimp Cartoonist -
|
