Dr Shane Orchard1, Mr Shawn Gerrity, Prof David Schiel
1University Of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Open-access natural resources underpin community wellbeing and livelihoods throughout the world while also requiring controls on usage and exploitation to avoid ‘tragedy of the commons’ effects. Recreational fisheries are among the most hotly contested of these resources due to the vital role they play for many communities, including long-standing traditional uses for indigenous peoples worldwide. With increasing demands on coastal resources and the progression of climate change, the already complex governance challenges are becoming further stretched. This is clearly seen, for example, in the functions of management agencies charged with establishing tangible controls, such as access or use limits, and evaluation of their effectiveness as conditions change. Here we explore these issues in relation to the recreational pāua (abalone) fishery on New Zealand’s Kaikōura coast which was closed for 5 years to address impacts of the 7.8Mw Kaikōura earthquake that included widespread loss of marine life. The fishery was initially re-opened for three months subject to management controls to achieve a recreational catch allocation of 5t. We measured fishing pressure at key access points and used scenario analyses to estimate the probable seasonal harvest while addressing assumptions around visitation patterns and duration of fishing effort. The results show a 10-fold discrepancy between the catch allocation and actual take and also help to assess the potential effectiveness and equitability of management alternatives. As we strive for sustainable use while addressing situational issues such as disaster recovery, a focus on pressure can help to illuminate the human dimensions of adaptive management cycles and their particular needs.
