Anglers get involved with conservation

Fish & Game staff are actively performing a key role in preserving fish habitat and wetlands, but it’s also been great for trout anglers chipping in for the benefit of nature too.  Over the past few years, members of the Nelson Trout Fishing Club have been getting busy helping people and the environment.

The latest initiative has seen the Club run a predator trap line in the Baton Valley.  This line was recently established by Farmers 4 Whio, an outstanding local conservation group that runs over 600 traps across multiple catchments in the Motueka Valley, made possible by farmers and landowners who want to protect blue duck (whio) in this area.  Fish & Game has been undertaking monthly checks of another trapline for over a year, and it’s been great to see the Nelson Trout Fishing Club now doing the same on a nearby line.

The Club has also been actively tackling Old Man’s Beard near Haycock’s Bush.  A good turnout from the Club at a recent O.M.B event run by the Motueka Catchment Collective was met with such enthusiasm they followed up with a second visit and will look to continue voluntary work here, freeing up important remnant native forest from the stranglehold of exotic pest weeds.

Again, staying within the Motueka Valley, the Club, along with Fish & Game, have recently held a river clean-up day, where members scoured public access points, picnic areas and riverbanks and road verges for rubbish.  A similar event was also held in 2023 when a huge pile of unwanted material was taken out of the valley and into landfill.  Our recent effort here thankfully removed less material after the initial cleanup in 2023, nevertheless, our riparian public areas are now looking much better.

Anglers have an affinity with freshwater environments, so any conservation initiatives that are near rivers are always met with eagerness by the Club.  Farm clean-up events in the wake of damaging floods in 2021 and 2022 were also a good example of this, where hundreds of hours were spent by Club members and Fish & Game staff removing flood debris and re-instating fences, helping affected farmers and landowners get back operational.  This was their way of helping others and saying thanks to farmers for allowing access to favoured trout fishing waters. The Motueka River is arguably the most popular fishery for the Club, being nearby and offering great fishing, so there is always plenty of enthusiasm for conservation initiatives in this valley.

It has been fantastic to see the surge in interest from hunters and anglers getting involved in conservation projects across the country.  This is an exciting space to be in, and with a large chunk of New Zealanders made up of outdoor users and passionate landowners, it is guaranteed that plenty of great work will be achieved.

By Jacob Lucas, Nelson Marlborough Fish and Game