Submission on Recreational Charter Fishing

Our organisation endorses the need for robust data with which to make decisions that "...protect the sustainability of fisheries resources." To this end we believe that catch taken by those using charter operations should be available to add to the mix of what fish is taken from the resource. Spearfishers occasionally use charter boats, more particularly for fishing trips that take them to distant offshore islands and reefs. Their catch over a 2 or 3 day trip can be considerable more particularly in the size of the fish (kingfish, billfish, tuna) than the number of species speared.