To follow the trout fisher's example, the upper size limit was introduced to preserve quality breeding stock. This proved very successful with shore line anglers at Lake Tarawera catching large jack fish and releasing them into Fish and Game's trap for milt removal.

The program proved so successful, these game farm raised fish are now used to stock other waters country wide. I believe they are also used to stock Lake Tutira.

The Irish government realised there were issues with bass, the numbers dropped dramatically. They banned commercial fishing, brought in a closed season for anglers and introduced a two fish limit during the open season.

As snapper is a major export earner for New Zealand, and God knows in today's hard economic times we need all the help we can get. I would not like to see a closed fishery. The recreational snapper fishing around Auckland and the far north would run into millions of dollars and keeps many people employed. I therefore suggest a closed season may benefit the fish, but would damage the people. A two fish limit would be extreme, but as snapper are quite a large fish, I would see no problems in a small reduction. As already mentioned, most anglers take only what they want and return their surplus. Therefore a reduction would mean nothing.

I can understand anglers objecting to commercial fishing, but in reality fishing creates work, the industry employs a lot of people, it's a valuable export earner and no government is likely to make a drastic cut in the TAC.

There is also the treaty to be considered. It's most unlikely Maori will support any reduction in either recreational or commercial fishing. Snapper is an important part of kaimoana, and Sealord, the largest of the commercial companies, is owned by Maori.

Both senior parties in parliament under MMP will do anything to get the Maori vote, the government need those votes to secure a majority therefore it's most unlikely such an event (large cuts) would get though a first reading.

I can't wait to see the Fishing papers later in the week ... the word hysteria is already fixed firmly in my mind.