A freshwater ecologist says plans by the Government to split the South Island eel quota into shortfin and longfin will not help manage both species more sustainably.
On Sunday, the Government announced interim measures to better protect the longfin eel, following a report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment in April.
The commissioner concluded that the native longfin eel is on a slow path to extinction.
An independent, international peer review panel is to reassess the data on longfin eels, as recommended by Dr Jan Wright.
The Government says any decision on whether to suspend commercial fishing on the species will depend on the outcome of the peer review.
Ecologist Bill Chisholm said the panel is a good idea, but splitting the South Island eel quota is not.
The regulated size of escape tubes in the North Island eel nets will also be increased to reduce the catch of smaller eels.
