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The Spread of Coarse Fish in New Zealand
Manager, Fish & Game New Zealand, Nelson Marlborough Region
Email: ndeans@nmfgc.co.nz
New Zealand Freshwater native freshwater fish fauna is unusual internationally, with a high rate of endemism. The native fauna is dominated by galaxiid species, with some families that dominate elsewhere, like carps, being wholly absent. Salmonids were introduced as sports fisheries in the early days of settlement, with brown and rainbow trout and chinook salmon being particularly successful and now widespread in largely self-sustaining populations. Limited introductions of coarse fish, notably tench and perch, were made in the early days of settlement. Coarse angling, however, has had a very limited following until comparatively recently. Recent European and Asian immigrants have sought coarse fishing opportunities, largely for sport and food respectively. Liberations of new species and into new areas have increased in the North Island over recent decades. New Zealand authorities, the Department of Conservation and Fish & Game New Zealand, have generally not favoured the authorisation of liberations of new fish species into new areas to extend coarse fishing opportunities, despite pressure from coarse fishing enthusiasts. Recent discoveries of new populations of coarse and other introduced fish outside their previously known range in the southern North Island and northern South Island has challenged agency response and raised practical questions of how to deal with this issue. An example is provided of a response-in-progress from the Nelson Marlborough region, which questions whether the issue is a technical, legal or a sociological issue.
Room 1 Tuesday 3.50 pm
