Night inspections of recreational fishers' catches are being planned for Tauranga boat ramps this summer. Senior fisheries officer Gary McAneny says night inspections are more of a summer event.

'We do more of them in the summer time when the fishing is good,” says Gary.

'Right now you can hardly catch a fish to save yourself out there, so it's a bit pointless for us putting our efforts into late shifts, but once the fishing picks up...

'We just gauge the fishery and work accordingly.

'Spring fishing is very poor as a rule. You talk to any fisherman and they will tell you they have hardly caught a fish in the last month.

'They can catch a bit of john dory, terakihi, trevally.

'In the summer time when fishing is easy, your grandmother could catch her quota, so it's much more likely she might give it a shot and try and take a few extras – so we will be doing a whole raft of enforcement initiatives during that period.”

The fishers who fish the change of light and are more likely to return to the ramps after dark just have to take their chances, says Gary.