A few spoil it for the rest

The idea of allowing licences for customary fishing rights so that a Marae can catch enough seafood locally for occassional functions seemed to me to be a good one. It does directly relate to a specific Treaty article (rather than more vague notions we see every day).

But as has been apparent for some time, and reported in the Dominion Post, a small minorityare abusing those rights and using them to fish on a commercial scale which causes huge tensions with those who have paid for commercial quota. It also threatens long term viability in some areas, as they are catching many under sized crayfish etc.

The regulations around this area really need to be massively tightened up.