Starving Fish Stocks Gulf Facing A Chronic Dilemma
Written by John Freer on March 29, 2023
By John Freer
Warren Maher is passionate about fishing but he is devastated by what is happening to the likes of our snapper, kahawai and trevally.
Tairua-based, Warren is the Vice-Chairman of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, and he is the Thames Coromandel councillor on the Waikato Regional Council.
He stood for council last year because he was concerned about the coastal environment.
His words: “Our coastal environment and the threats to it is why I got involved in the first place.”
Now he is concerned with the release of recent scientific information which shows that fish in the Hauraki Gulf are starving – this impacting on snapper, kahawai and trevally.
“This is really frightening. We are all aware the Gulf is not in a good situation.”
He said past fishing practices have destroyed the fish food chain, while land-use practices are having a devastating impact on the like of kelp forests and shoreline fish.
Listen to Warren’s full interview by clicking the link below. He explains what action needs to be taken and what fisherman and members of the public can do to undertake change.
