15 Jun 2013

Snapper catch limits to be reviewed

6:11 pm on 15 June 2013

Recreational fishers in the upper North Island could face cuts to the amount of snapper they are able to fish.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says snapper numbers have increased by 70% in the past 15 to 25 years because of catch limits but the population is not rising fast enough and overfishing is occurring.

The Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy says a six-week consultation period will begin next month on what to do about catch limits.

And he is asking recreational fishers to avoid jumping to conclusions about what changes the Government will make to the limits.

Mr Guy says no changes have been made to the Snapper One fisheries area since the late 1990s.

The Sport Fishing Council says it wants to make sure any reduction in catch is for good reason, and helps to build stock.