This piece on Blogfish really caught my attention. Despite the fact that I strongly support Option 4 and it’s fight to maintain New Zealand recreational fishers rights, there is one aspect I disagree with. I am a strong advocate for introducing a saltwater fishing licence in New Zealand as long as it is, like the freshwater license, run by fishermen for fishermen.
Blogfish has picked up on an aspect of a fishing licence I had never seen before – a licensing system produces one valuable, if not critical, weapon in the fight to maintain fishing rights, and the fishery. That factor is the ability to accurately count fishermen numbers.
Currently we have in NZ wild guesses as to the number of people who regularly fish, and these guesses roam from the best guess to downright self-interested inflated rubbish. It is little wonder the job of getting our voice heard in Government is so difficult.
In my view it is way past time we had a saltwater fishing licence, and get to enjoy the benefits that our freshwater anglers derive from their licence.
Read the Blogfish article here.

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