Fishing News index > February 2007

Be Considerate…!!

Being considerate is our strong recommendation to water users during the busy summer period, and remember some matters of etiquette are supported by regulations or angler notice conditions – enforceable by law. 

Disposal of Fish Waste – one recent complaint, from an angler, was about the amount of fish waste left on the lakeshore around Lake Dunstan.  After gutting fish it is important to dispose of the waste discretely.  Either bury it or take it home for the compost heap. Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 66 states that:

No fish refuse on banks – No person shall leave any fish or any cleanings or offal from fish, lying unburied on the bank or margin of any waters.

The maximum penalty for FFA offences is $5000 but fines are likely to be a few hundred dollars where offenders are priosecuted. 

Speeding Boats - We have also had complaints about boaters, particularly jet skiers, boating at speed too close to shore based anglers.  Sometimes this has damaged or cut lines.  The lower Taieri River from Henley to Taieri Mouth has seen a bit of this bad behaviour recently

The Maritime Rules 91.6 (a) stipulates that no vessel shall travel above 5 knots within 50 metres of another vessel, raft or person in the water. 

Rule 91.6 (b) stipulates that no vessel shall travel above 5 knots within 200 metres of the shore or any structure.  It is important to note that in Queenstown Lakes District this distance has been further reduced to 100 metres in the QLDC bylaws.  Those bylaws apply to Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka and Hawea.

$500 instant fines are routine for boating infringements in Queenstown Lakes.

Trolling – Anglers trolling from boats are usually not moving above 5 knots but their activities are governed by Anglers Notice condition 8.3 which states that anglers fishing from a mechanically propelled boat must stay at least 100 metres from shore based anglers.  The rule is in place simply to give shore based anglers a fair go. 

Offences could attract a fine of a few hundred dollars

But having said all that, we get remarkably few complaints about anglers or other water users behaving badly, particularly given the very high level of angler activity in Otago.

Litter – It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that litter spoils the aesthetic appeal of an area so remember to take your own rubbish with you.  Glass bottles are a particular hazard so extra care should be taken to remove them and dispose of them safely.  If you use the area regularly it is worth taking other peoples rubbish away as well.

Fines under the Litter Act can be up to $5000 unless it involves willfully breaking bottles when the fine can be up to $7500

Toilet waste – Always carry a shovel in the car for those unforeseen circumstances.  Move well away from the water and bury it deep!