POLICIES 4.4 Freshwater species, habitats and ecosystems

4.4(a) A national park management plan will identify indigenous freshwater fisheries, recreational freshwater fisheries and freshwater fish habitats at places within the national park.

4.4(b) Freshwater species, habitats and ecosystems within national parks should be managed to preserve as far as is practicable all indigenous freshwater fisheries and habitats and to protect recreational freshwater fish habitats including:

• i) the maintenance and restoration of the natural geographic range of indigenous freshwater fisheries;
• ii) the maintenance of fish passage and, where practicable, its restoration, except where this would result in the introduction of non-indigenous species into freshwater fisheries where only indigenous species are present or would pose a threat to the preservation of indigenous freshwater fisheries;
• iii) the prevention, eradication, containment or exclusion of pest species, and non-approved transfers of freshwater fish or aquatic life, in collaboration with other management agencies; and
• iv) the preservation or restoration of water bodies (including wetlands), riparian areas, groundwater, geothermal and estuarine ecosystems to a natural state.

4.4(c) A national park management plan may provide for the release of freshwater fish, including sports fish, or aquatic life, into specified waters in the national park where:

• i) the same species is already legally present in those waters;
• ii) the preservation of the indigenous freshwater fisheries and habitat of the national park is not adversely affected; and
• iii) the protection of the recreational freshwater fisheries is not adversely affected.

4.4(d) A national park management plan should identify waters from which the eradication and control of introduced species, including sports fish, will be a priority for the preservation of populations of indigenous freshwater fish and aquatic life.

4.4(e) If an illegal introduction of a non-indigenous fish species into national park waters has been made, fishing for that species of fish may be prohibited or restricted where this would facilitate eradication and control, or would create an effective deterrent to future unlawful attempts to establish populations of aquatic life.

4.4(f) Non-commercial customary and recreational fishing for indigenous species in national parks require a written consent from the Minister and may be authorised on a case-by-case basis where:

• i) it is consistent with all relevant Acts and regulations and the purposes of national parks;
• ii) there is an established tradition of such fishing in those national park waters;
• iii) the preservation of the indigenous freshwater fisheries and maintenance of stocks within those waters are not adversely affected;
• iv) it is provided for in the national park management plan; and
• v) in the case of non-commercial customary fishing, the application is supported by tangata whenua.

4.4(g) Commercial fishing in national park waters should not be permitted unless:

• i) it is consistent with all relevant Acts and regulations and the purposes of national parks;
• ii) commercial fishing for the species legally occurred in specific waters within the national park prior to the establishment of, or addition to, the national park;
• iii) the preservation of the indigenous freshwater fisheries and maintenance of stocks within the waters where fishing is to occur is not adversely affected;
• iv) any consent given is confined to a person who, or organisation which, was commercially fishing in the waters where fishing is to occur prior to the establishment of, or addition to, the national park; is non-transferable; has a limited term; and is not renewable; and
• v) it is provided for in the national park management plan.

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