Special report
Southland anglers are feeling angry over the lack of management of tourist anglers in Southland says Gore fly fisherman David Linklater in a letter to the “Otago Daily Times”.
“Southland Fish and Game has done extensive surveys of our heavily fished waters and established that tourist anglers are dominating the resource and are taking around 60 percent of the use. Foreigners are causing heavy displacement of Kiwi anglers, a survey on Southland’s premier trout fishery, the upper Oreti showed that Kiwis were being displaced at a rate of 389 percent.
“Southland Fish and Game made an application in Todd McLay’s year as Hunting and Fishing Minister to start taking measures to rectify the situation. Mr McLay, the Minister of Hunting and Fishing at the time flatly refused the request and acted in the interest of foreigners. This made us feel very much like second class citizens in our own country.
“Our trout fishing is primarily a recreational heritage belonging to all New Zealanders. It is unthinkable that foreigners can come here in droves and take it off us. We do realise that some angling needs to be available for the tourist, but it needs to be managed at a level that does not compromise the quality of the experience for New Zealanders.
“Kiwis contribute way more per angler than the non-resident angler. We pay income tax to help make this country tick, we are spending money here 365 days of the year, we are contributing to the community, we are raising and nurturing the next generation of Kiwis. The tourist angler does none of this, he flies in, takes the fishing and buggers off.
“In Lumsden we have what I would describe as the worst of the worst of tourism.
“An Australian guide has set up there and is using our recreational heritage to feather his own nest.
“This is a particular sore point with especially Southland fly fisher-persons. He does package deals for Australians and the bulk of the money stays in Australia, and he is hogging the resource.
“Kiwi anglers don’t want the little bit of money they bring, we want our heritage back! After all it is finite and priceless.”
As I recall the licence fee difference between resident and visitors in USA is much greater than New Zealand sets. For example an annual resident trout fishing license in Oregon USA costs $50.00, while a nonresident (visitor) annual license costs $138.00 – that’s 280% more for a tourist.
In NZ it’s about 170% is my arithmetic is right.
Spot on David. 100%. That is the ideal situation but I doubt that’s going to happen.
I have friends that are guides and they are pretty ethical though still a nuisance at times. ButHowever since the government have decided that Australian guides can set up as well the situation has worsened considerably. A NZ guides only policy with the numbers heavily restricted should be the very least we should expect even though it is far from what we used to have.
The government seems desperate to encourage any business that could possibly be established even though they don’t have to even pay taxes. They certainly don’t give a stuff about NZers nor seem to care that the foreign guides are actually a financial negative to our country.
You can’t spit for foreign anglers in most of the best fly fishing waters in the lower South Island. They’ve ruined our special heritage, although other factors such as dirty dairying are also ruining things.
Someone needs a kick in the arse for letting this happen and it starts with those apathetic anglers who do nothing while our special fisheries deteriorate.
The removal of the special status of trout and salmon in four pieces of legislation by the coalition of evil is just a step to opening up angling even further to privatization; which of course favours the highest payer — the tourist angler. Wake up to the coalition parties agenda!!!
If Kiwi anglers want to get out and fish, there’s nothing stopping them, as simply as putting on there waders, pick up the rod and go fishing, the over seas angler are good for or general economy.
I live in the Central Plateau where the Wanganui and Tongariro and Tauranga Taupo etc are the main Rivers and see thousands of anglers yearly, good for the fishery and the local economy.
As a visiting angler from the UK , and one who has visited and fished the South Island I can understand the emotion. However the quote “.. he flies in, takes the fishing, and then buggers off” is only accurate with a mention of the fact that each of my visits contributes between $20,000 and $40,000 directly to the South Island economy . If the number of visiting anglers is as high as is suggested then that is a lot of Tourist revenue which you are suggesting should bugger off. Your call.