National Rock Lobster Management Group

Introduction

The National Rock Lobster Management Group (NRLMG) has existed since 1992. It was established as a national multi-stakeholder group providing direct advice to the Minister of Fisheries on sustainability measures and Total Allowable Catch (TAC) reviews.

For a while the NRLMG was considered by officials to be a shining example of stakeholder-led management, the way of the future. However, Management Procedures were developed to maintain or maximise catches and a strong commercial bias was apparent in the NRLMG advice provided to the Minister.

The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council has over the years been very critical of the NRLMG, calling for it to be disestablished and that major changes were required to the way that rock lobster sustainability was assessed and managed.

In the past few years there have been some changes. There is now an independent chair for NRLMG meetings. The Group now provides advice to Fisheries New Zealand (FNZ) rather than direct to the Minister. And, NZSFC involvement in the science working groups has helped change the way recreational catch history is estimated and the way commercial catch rates are calculated.

NRLMG review

In June 2019 FNZ released an online questionnaire focused on aspects of the NRLMG and a review of their operations, particularly membership. The NZSFC reviewed the available information and decided it would nominate a person to the NRLMG so that the representative recreational organisations could have a say in the Terms of Reference for the reformatted Group.

Subsequently, the Minister of Fisheries called for nominations from the recreational sector to join the Group. The first meeting of the reformed Group was held on 16 June 2020 where they discussed new Terms of Reference. These discussions are ongoing.

Relevant information

2020

References

2019

Submission

2012

References