Proposed temporary closures of the pāua fishery around Popotai Taumaka (Open Bay Islands) and at Ōkahu (Jackson Bay), on the West Coast of the South Island

Your views sought

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio has applied for temporary closures under section 186B of the Fisheries Act 1996 to the harvesting of pāua at:

• Popotai Taumaka (Open Bay Islands)
• Ōkahu (Jackson Bay).

Fisheries New Zealand invites written submissions on the requests from persons who have an interest in the stock concerned or in the effects of fishing in the areas concerned.

Find out more about temporary closures

What's being proposed?

Area of the proposed Popotai Taumaka (Open Bay Islands) temporary closure

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line every point of which is 1.5km from the mean high-water mark of the Open Bay Islands. The fisheries waters around Bignell Reef are included in the proposed area. 

Map of the proposed Popotai Taumaka temporary closure [PDF, 13 MB]

The application for the temporary closure at Popotai Taumaka [PDF, 308 KB]

Area of the proposed Ōkahu (Jackson Bay) temporary closure

The approximate area of the proposed temporary closure extends from Homminy Point to Neil's Beach, and includes Homminy Cove, Smoothwater Bay, Jackson Head, and Ōkahu/Jackson Bay.

All that area of South Island fisheries waters enclosed by a line:

1. starting at a point on the mean high-water mark at Homminy Point (at 43°58.447'S and 168°34.065'E), then
2. proceeding in a straight line in a northerly direction for approximately 725m to a point offshore (at 43°58.057'S and 168°34.025'E), then
3. proceeding in a straight line in a north-easterly direction to a point offshore, approximately 1.9km to the north of Smoothwater Point (at 43°57.428'S and 168°35.538'E), then
4. proceeding in a straight line in an easterly direction to a point offshore, approximately 675m to the north of Jackson Head (at 43°57.216'S and 168°37.601'E), then
5. proceeding in a straight line in a south-easterly direction to a point on the mean high-water mark at Neil's Beach (at 43°59.742'S and 168°39.457'E), then
6. proceeding along the mean high-water mark in a generally north-westerly direction to the starting point.

The proposed area is approximately 11.9 square kilometres.

Map of the proposed Ōkahu temporary closure [PDF, 17 MB]

The application for the temporary closure at Ōkahu [PDF, 352 KB]

Making your submission

Submissions close at 5pm on Monday, 1 November 2021.

Email your submission to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz

While we prefer email, you can post your submission to:

Fisheries management – Spatial planning and allocations
Fisheries New Zealand
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.

Public notices about this consultation

A public notice calling for submissions on the proposed Popotai Taumaka (Open Bay Islands) temporary closure was placed in The Hokitika Guardian on 20 August 2021.

Public notices calling for submissions on the proposed Ōkahu (Jackson Bay) temporary closure were placed in The Christchurch Press and the Hokitika Guardian on 24 September 2021.

Background to the request

Section 186B provides that the director-general may temporarily close an area of South Island fisheries waters, or temporarily restrict or prohibit the use of any fishing method in respect of an area if satisfied that the closure, restriction, or prohibition:

• will assist in replenishing the stocks concerned, or
• recognise and provide for the use and management practices of tangata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.

Temporary closures apply to recreational, commercial, and customary fishing.

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio consider that temporary closures will:

• replenish overfished pāua stocks in the areas
• assist in recognising and making provision for the use and management practices of tāngata whenua in the exercise of non-commercial fishing rights.

Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio also consider that the temporary closures will serve as a ‘customary management’ education areas to support a better understanding of customary approaches and practices for building resilient marine ecosystems.

Submissions are public information

Note that any submission you make becomes public information. People can ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we have to make submissions available unless we have a good reason for withholding it. That is explained in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.

Tell us if you think there are grounds to withhold specific information in your submission. Reasons might include that it's commercially sensitive or it's personal information. However, any decision Fisheries New Zealand makes to withhold information can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may tell us to release it.