Deerstalkers recommend Fish and Game Commission

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 20, 8 October 1985, Page 16

Deerstalkers recommend Fish and Game Commission

The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association's national executive has recommended that the Govern-

ment create a Fish and Game Commission responsible for all aspects of game animals and fish in New Zealand. The move, outlined in the Association's submissions to the Report of the PostEnvironment Forum Working Party, 'Environment 1986', would see the formation of the Commission as a citizen's group representing the country's freshwater fishermen, large and small game animal hunters and game bird shooters to administer, research, manage and initiate policies involving N.Z.'s wild animals. Divided into three divisions having an equal and statutory responsibility for fish, game birds and wild animals such as deerT thar, chamois and other game, the Commission would be funded from hunting licence fees administered by the present national hunting organisations and Acclimatisation Societies. Speaking in Wellington today during a forum held at Parliament's Legislative Chamber called by the Min-

ister of Forests, the Hon Koro Wetere, between agencies and groups involved in the issue, NZDA national president, Mr John Bamford of Balclutha, said that the move would ensure that wild animals were duly recognised by Government as a valuable resource capable of being harvested by hunters on a sustained basis. Similar to game management agencies already managing wildlife in countries such as the USA, Canada and others, the Commission proposed by the Deerstalkers, would comprise 10 people representing animal and game bird hunters, freshwater fishermen, wildfowl, fisheries and animal ecologists, and Maori interests. Additionally, a Fish and Game Federation would be created to act in a servicing, advisory and management capacity, to administer the country's hunters and fishermen. Nationally based in geographic districts, the Federation is to consist of the present Acclimatisation Societies, involved with gamebirds and fish, and national hunting organisations having statutory responsibility for big and small game animals. Local clubs and societies would act as support units.

Mr Bamford said that NZDA was concerned that neither the recent postenvironment forum working party, nor their report, had addressed the question of whether wild animals were a valuable resource that made a major contribution to the New Zealand economy. "It is obvious that upward trends over the past 20 years in deer farming, commercial wild animal recovery, tourist safari hunting and recreational hunting activity, mean that the wild animal resource must be managed for the benefit of all," he said. The Association said in its submission on the report, that apart from two brief references to 'wild animal control' and 'recreational management', no real consideration had been given by the working party to the management of New Zealand 's game resources as part and parcel of current environmental administration re-structuring proposals arising out of the Environment Forum held in Wellington last March.