'Fifty-six pages of meaningless words” is how Tauranga diver and spear fisherman Te Atarangi ‘TA' Sayers sums up the recently released Draft Snapper (SNA1) Management Plan.

It's been devised by the SNA1 Strategy Group, with assistance from the Ministry for Primary Industries which had organised a public meeting to discuss the plan at the Tauranga Yacht Club on Thursday night.

The Draft Snapper (SNA1) Management Plan was released by the Ministry for Primary Industries on September 2. File Photo.

Only nine people showed up to the meeting. Thirteen if you include the four MPI and SNA1 Strategy Group members who showed up on Thursday night.

TA has taken issue with how the MPI advertised the meeting.

'It was me and the other eight mates I managed to bring along in the audience, the reps actually looked like they were surprised to see us show up,” he says.

'It's shocking, absolutely shocking, this is a plan that has big ramifications and we literally knew nothing about the meeting until an hour or so before it took place.”

One key issues for TA to come out of Thursday night's meeting is how the draft plans aims to double snapper stocks without lowering the total allowable catch. Another issue he says is the fact the MPI eventually wants to make recreational and commercial fishing 50/50 in terms of the TAC.

Currently, the TAC is 8050 tonnes – with 4500t for commercial fishing, 3050t for recreational, 50 for Māori customary/non-commercial and 450t for other sources of fishing-related mortality.

'These were only a handful of issues I have. Since the meeting I've sent a copy of the plan to friends who work at the University of Waikato for them to look at and see what they think.

'On Thursday night they basically told us that this is the plan they would be presenting to the minister and if we had any issues with it we should write a letter to Nathan Guy,” says TA.

SunLive has approached the Ministry for Primary Industries for comment and is waiting on its response.

WHAT'S IN THE DRAFT SNAPPER MANAGEMENT PLAN?

File Photo.

Released on September 2, the Draft Snapper (SNA1) Management Plan was devised by the indepent SNA1 Strategy Group which comprises of customary, recreational and commercial fishers and led by Sir Ian Barker QC.

'It is the first time a joint approach like this has been taken by all the users of this important fishery – customary, recreational and commercial,' says Sir Ian.

'The plan is about maximising the benefits for everyone, and the only way to do that is to work together constructively.”

The draft Plan sets out a series of recommendations for managing the fishery, which includes Bay of Plenty, the Hauraki Gulf and the eastern coast of Northland.

It has a focus on improving fishing practices, minimising waste, and gathering accurate information, and includes several recommendations.

The plan proposes doubling the snapper population for the SNA1 fishery to 40 per cent of the unfished biomass in 25 years, without reducing the total allowable catch in the current financial year.

It means rebuilding the fishery to a state where it contains 40 per cent of the amount of fish that would have been there in the absence of all types of fishing.

The plan specifies an intermediate target of 30 per cent of the unfished biomass by 2025.

The Ministry of Primary Industries intends to achieve this by reducing waste and improve productivity, improve monitoring and management of the SNA1 fishery, improve reporting and understanding of the snapper habitat and environment.

The snapper one quota management area won't be sub-divided at this time, but the Ministry plan for the three sub-populations of East Northland, Hauraki Gulf, and Bay of Plenty to eventually be monitored and assessed separately.

For more information or to read the draft plan in full visit the Ministry for Primary Industries website.

Have you read the Draft Snapper (SNA1) Management Plan? Post your thoughts in the comment section below.

File Photo.