Download FAR 2023/01 Recreational fishing effects on wadeable pāua populations along the Kaikōura coast, 2021–22

This work assesses the initial effects from 2021-22 recreational fishing season on shallow wadeable pāua populations along the Kaikōura coastline following a 5-year fishery closure after the 2016 earthquakes. Intertidal and subtidal surveys by the Marine Ecology Research Group, University of Canterbury, show measurable effects on pāua biomass and population structure at fished sites compared to closed sites. This work highlights the sensitivity of the fishery to short-term acute harvest.