Auckland / Waikato News > July 2008

AUCKLAND/WAIKATO FISH & GAME
BI-MONTHLY NEWSBRIEF

(Published following each Bi-Monthly Council meeting)

If you require further elaboration or clarification of items contained herein, or any other matters relating to F&GC business, please contact your local F&G Ward Councillor or the office

Matters Arising from Council Meeting of 14 June 2008
 
1. After considering remits received from clubs and anglers DAN Notice for 2008/2009 set with same conditions as existing except that:

• Daily bag limit for Ohinemuri River and tributaries to be reduced to two fish per day as a consequence of drift dive results and angler pressure in the area.
• Daily bag limit in Waipa River is to be restored from two back to five fish per day as a consequence of drift dive surveys and recovery of the river as a consequence of planting’s EW has undertaken in the Head Waters and the clearance over time of the silt that came down when the natural dam on the Tunawara River breached.

2. After discussion Council supported the NZC recommendation for a 2008/2009 fish licence fee based on an adult whole season licence of $105 and a 2009 game licence based on an adult whole season fee of $80 (including $2 for GBH Stamp) inclusive of GST.

3. Council resolves that its CE, Mr Emmett, is to continue as the AWF&G representative on the Waikato Catchment Ecological Enhancement Trust.

4. Following a vacancy arising Councillor Euan Williamson nominated for the position on the NZ Gamebird Habitat Trust.

5. Concern expressed at comment circulating regarding excessive gamebird numbers being shot and unlicensed hunting, with it recognised that if licence holders are not going to provide the office with specifics of such it is difficult to productively undertake ranging.  Please remember that we have a 24/7 answering service.  If you see illegal activities being undertaken please notify us of these immediately – later in the season or next year is simply of no use.

6. Council received full particulars regarding a recent ranging exercise carried out adjacent to a property that had sought to establish itself as a game preserve at the southern end of Lake Whangape.  Council noted its thanks to those rangers who were involved in the exercise.

Matters Arising from Chief Executive’s Report

1. Thanks to all those hunters who have returned to us band information.  Many of the mallards had only flown a few kms from the banding site where they were banded a few months earlier, however longer lived birds (up to 5 years) have flown sometimes several hundred kms, presumably in a cumulative series of short hops.  General comment is that the birds shot have been in absolutely excellent condition as a consequence of farmers starting to feed out maize in January with a number still continuing to do so, which has resulted in birds gathering in areas that they normally wouldn’t at this time of year.

2. Annual gamebird hunters phone survey undertaken with hunters reporting generally a good or very good Opening, the dry conditions seeming to have worked in many hunters’ favour, with many of those having access to permanent water mostly doing better than average, particularly if there was any maize growing nearby.

3. Trout releases were carried out of rainbow yearlings - Lake Arapuni 400, Lake Karapiro 1500.  Lake Pupuke 1000 two-year old rainbows; tagged fish (500) were released into both Arapuni and Karapiro.

4. Discussions undertaken with Transit NZ opposing their options for realigning SH39 which would involve two crossings of the Ngakoaohia Stream, which could act as a barrier to fish movement, especially given the significance of the stream to migratory brown trout from the Lower Waikato.

5. Following Hearing application by J & P McIntyre to expand their piggery to accommodate up to 30,000 pigs was denied by EW, which we had objected to due to the potential impact of discharged treated effluent to the Piako River.

6. Discussions undertaken with EW regarding the removal of the Otorohanga Weir, which we will be keen to see removed as it is certainly a barrier to fish movement especially at low flows.  We have approached the district council about removing the weir previously without success, given their assertion that it was necessary for erosion control.

7. Recommendation made to Otorohanga DC that an esplanade strip be placed on the Waipa River for the purpose of public access, recreation and riparian management as part of a subdivision consent at Otewa. 

8. Submission made on proposal to catch koi for export given our concerns in regards to the potential for a bycatch of trout on the Lower Waikato River.

9. Submissions made to proposal by SWDC to establish a new “rural residential” zone along lakes Arapuni and Karapiro.  Our concern is that the proliferation of rural lifestyle blocks can negatively impact on recreational use, especially by waterfowl hunters as these waters are popular hunting areas.  We suggested that any subdivisions here have covenants prohibiting landowners from complaining about hunting activities, especially the noise from firearms, this type of covenant being successfully used elsewhere in the Waikato to preserve waterfowl hunting opportunities.

10. Investigation commenced into Myfarm project in the Waipa Valley which could see the development of a 3200ha dairy grazing unit for off-season dairy grazing as well as some dry stock.  Although the land has been farmed for many years the intensity of farming (ie. fertiliser use) would most probably increase.  Although the farm is located in the Waipa Valley much of it will be in the Mangaokewa River catchment, which is not a high priority waterway for us, however we will be keeping an eye on the development.

11. Objected to application to discharge town and prison sewage into Lake Waikare.  Sought assistance from iwi to make a firm stand on this.  It is quite incredible, given its degraded state, that an extra 1,000 cubic metres of sewage could go into the lake each day.

12. Concern raised at proposal to discharge poultry waste treatment water onto land at Karaka and also into the Manukau Harbour.  It raises concerns of wild birds catching avian diseases from the partly treated waste.

13. Meeting held with a member of Waikato River Guardians Establishment Committee and discussions held with Tainui, whereafter submission to the Establishment Committee regarding the Vision and Strategy they have put forward for the Waikato River settlement undertaken.  Unfortunately some of the more meatier aspects of the original Agreement in Principle did come forward, which would have seen local authorities required to give effect to conditions set for the river by the final Guardians Committee, which could have had an extremely positive effect on the condition of the river and its surrounding catchment.

14. Further prosecutions undertaken.  Two individuals apprehended last year hunting without a licence, using lead shot and having an undismantled and unsecured gun in their boat, each fined a total cost of some $1200.  Another successful prosecution was brought against an individual in Tokoroa for fishing without a licence, who was convicted and ordered to pay solicitors costs of $350.

15. Analysis of annual Lake Arapuni fishing competition for 2008 found there was an increase in the contribution of hatchery reared fish to the total catch which was up to 54% from 44.4% in the previous year, and from 22.5% in 2000, with the 1 year plus hatchery fish from the 2000 liberation being much smaller than those observed in previous competitions.  These results suggest there are two separate trends occurring in the Arapuni fishery with the older larger trout thriving while the newly released hatchery fish are struggling to grow.  As a consequence we will reduce the number of fish released into Arapuni for the 2009 year.

Any clubs or individuals that would like extra copies of our pre-game season magazine please contact the office.