Protecting Paterson Inlet

Forest and Bird, Issue 268, 1 May 1993, Page 2

Protecting Paterson Inlet

Sue Maturin

LAST AUGUST Forest & Bird brought you the story of the wonders of Paterson Inlet and the moves to protect at least part of it in a marine reserve. At the end of last year the

committee, set up by DoC to look into possible protection mechanisms, released its discussion document. Mostly made up of Stewart Islanders, the committee has recommended a reserve which includes representative areas of most of the main habitat types in the inlet,

such as part of the major brachiopod beds and the kelpcovered rocky reefs. The committee also supported a number of restrictions on fishing methods in the rest of the inlet including banning set nets, cod pots, trawling, commercial harvesting of shellfish and seaweeds, and no extension of marine farming. It was also keen to see reductions in bag limits, including an upper limit for boats of both scallops and fin fish. MAF Fisheries has now set up another committee with the same members plus another commercial representative and another recreational fisher. This committee will formulate a fisheries management plan for areas outside the marine reserve. Hopefully these proposals will be integrated with plans for a marine reserve and that joint package will be put together this month for further public discussion. The formation of two paral-

lel committees has overcome the "territorial" dispute between DoC and MAF Fisheries which was paralysing progress last year. Hopefully the new committee will not water down the method restrictions and bag limits. Forest and Bird supports the proposals but would like to see the colourful two-metre-tall tube worm reefs around Bravo Island, and the mudflats at the head of the inlet included in the reserve. The former are a globally rare community supporting young fish, while the latter are important feeding grounds for waders such as the rare New Zealand dotterel. Local iwi are involved in both committees and will propose a taiapure, or traditional fishery, in the inlet. The combination of taiapure, marine reserve and fisheries management plan should eventually provide a strong protective framework for the inlet.