WEST COAST BACKCOUNTRY FISHERY REPORT 2018

A Summary of Angler Survey & Drift Diving Results for the West Coast Backcountry Fisheries, Conducted by Fish & Game West Coast for the 2017/2018 Sports Fishing Season.

Lee Crosswell, Fish & Game Field Officer, July 2018

Staff and volunteers prepare to drift dive the Upper Mokihinui River, March 2018.

WEST COAST BACKCOUNTRY FISHERY REPORT 2018

A Summary of Angler Survey & Drift Diving Results for the West Coast Backcountry Fisheries, Conducted by Fish & Game West Coast for the 2017/2018 Sports Fishing Season.

Lee Crosswell, Fish & Game Field Officer, July 2018. Summary The and Mokihinui Rivers have for many years provided excellent angling opportunities for resident and visiting non-resident anglers. Following feedback of an apparent decline in the fishery status, West Coast Fish and Game designated both catchments as a Backcountry Fishery in 2016/17. This requires anglers to obtain a free Backcountry Endorsement, in doing so providing their details for an online survey following the angling season. In conjunction with the angler’s survey, drift dives were undertaken through historic dive sites in both catchments. The anglers survey has focused on evaluating fishery usage, commercial guided fishing, access methods and angler satisfaction, while offering anglers currently using the fishery the opportunity to comment on these topics and offer future management suggestions. This report summarises the backcountry survey and drift diving results for the 2017/18 season. Staff recommendations are: Survey anglers to determine if they approve of restricted access as a form of fishery management; Change the bag limit to one trout per day in the West Coast Backcountry Fishery area during the next round of regulation setting; That council receives this report.

Introduction The rivers of have for decades now been well recognised for providing premium opportunities for anglers within a remote scenic environment. Two of the most notable catchments with the park, are the Karamea and Mokihinui Rivers. During recent seasons feedback has been received by Fish and Game West Coast from several anglers and fishing guides, concerned that these fisheries are not of the quality they were previously. As a result, The West Coast Fish and Game Council has designated the Karamea River catchment upstream from Kakapo River, and Mokihinui River catchment upstream of Rough and Tumble Creek confluence, as Backcountry Fisheries. The Purpose of the designation was to gain details of all anglers entering the area to fish and gather data of angler usage and the fishing experiences of those anglers currently using these fisheries. Concurrently, drift diving surveys were carried out through two historic drift diving sections within each catchment to examine trout abundance in both the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.

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Method A survey was designed to look at information about of fishery status in each of the catchments and was sent to all anglers that held a backcountry endorsement that provided an email address. These were sent out together with Nelson/Marlborough Regions backcountry surveys after the fishing season closure dates. A copy of the survey questions is included as Appendix 1. Surveys were structured to distinguish between resident and non-resident anglers, to identify view points from each group, local kiwi anglers and visiting anglers on holiday. Drift dives were made during early March 2018 when conditions allowed, coinciding with the same time of the year as historic dives. The Karamea River was dived adjacent to the Crow River confluence and upstream of the Karamea Bend using seven divers. The Mokihinui River was dived downstream of Goat Creek confluence and upstream of the Mokihinui Forks on the North Branch using six divers. Where Karamea and Mokihinui Rivers are referred to in this report, unless otherwise stated, this refers to the upper reaches within the designated Backcountry Area.

Results Backcountry Survey Participation & Angler Demographics Throughout the 2017/18 season, a total of 2,102 Anglers held West Coast Region Backcountry Fishery Endorsements, those with a current email address were invited to participate in the Backcountry Angler Survey. The surveys were sent together with the Nelson Marlborough Region Backcountry Surveys, resulting in survey responses from 1,005 anglers, 473 answered that they had fished backcountry waters in either the Nelson/Marlborough or West Coast backcountry areas. 824 of the 1,005 held West Coast Backcountry Endorsements. Of these 824, 153 fished within the West Coast Backcountry Area during the 2017/18 season, consisting of 89 non-resident anglers, 64 resident anglers, refer to Figure 1, page 4. Region of origin details from resident anglers were gathered, these are summarised in Table 1 below. As with last season’s survey, a large proportion of resident anglers fishing the West Coast Backcountry Area are licence holders from the Nelson/Marlborough and North Canterbury Regions.

Table 1: Location of Origin for Resident Anglers.

Region of Origin Number of Anglers West Coast (2) 7.81% Nelson 53.12% North Canterbury 14.06% Hawkes Bay 1.56% Otago 1.56% Central 1.56% Southland 7.81% Auckland/Waikato 4.69% Taranaki 1.56% Wellington 4.69% Northland 1.56%

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Figure 1: Percentage of Visiting Non-Resident Anglers vs Resident Anglers from the Survey That Fished Within the West Coast Backcountry Area During the 2017/18 Angling Season.

Angler Usage During the 2017/18 Season

Anglers were questioned as to how many trips they made into the West Coast Backcountry Fishery, what was the average length of their stay and what was the total number of days fished in each catchment. Figure 2 shows the percentage of fly in respondents to number of days in the West Coast Backcountry Fishery as a whole. Figure 3 provides answers as to how many nights respondents stayed in the area, while Figure 4 depicts how many days the majority of anglers fished each catchment. Most entered the backcountry area over only one or two trips, while some anglers made up to 12 trips into the West Coast Backcountry Fishery. Most anglers stayed one to four nights, some averaged a length of stay up to 10 or 14 nights. Total days by fly in anglers reflected the nights stayed, with most anglers spending a total of between 1-4 days in each of the catchments. There was a smaller percentage that fished 5-11 days total in either or both catchments.

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Figure 2: Number of Trips into The West Coast Backcountry Fisheries by Fly in Respondents.

Percentage of Respondents

Nights Stayed

Figure 3: Average Number of Nights Stayed by Respondents.

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Figure 4: Distribution of Fly in Anglers vs Total Days Fished in Each West Coast Backcountry Catchment for the 2017/18 Season.

Commercial Guides

During the survey respondents were asked if they were fishing guides. As shown in Figure 5 below, approximately 9% of those surveyed were fishing guides.

Figure 5: Percentage of Respondents That Fished in The West Coast Backcountry Fishery Area During the Survey Period That Are Fishing Guides.

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Backcountry Access Methods

Anglers surveyed were asked if they used helicopters as a means of access to determine the level of helicopter services. As shown in Figure 6 below, over half of respondents, 55.56% flew in. 51.56% of resident angler respondents used a helicopter to access the West Coast backcountry fisheries vs 58.62% of non-resident anglers. In terms of helicopter use to each of the individual fisheries, as shown in Figure 7, more anglers used helicopters to access the Karamea catchment than the Mokihinui.

Figure 6: Percentage of Survey Respondents Accessing the West Coast Backcountry Fisheries Via Helicopter 2017/18 Season.

Figure 7: Percentage of Fly in Survey Respondents Accessing Each Catchment by Helicopter

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Distribution of Usage Within The Kahurangi Wildness Area and Outside of It

Respondents were asked if they fished within the Kahurangi Wilderness area. The majority of anglers from the survey, over 62% fished outside of the wilderness area.

Percentage of Respondents

Figure 8: Angler Usage Within and Outside of The Kahurangi Wilderness Area. (Note some respondents have answered to more than one option)

Trout Caught/Kept

Results were gathered from fly in anglers as to how many trout they caught in total from each of the Backcountry catchments, see Figure 9 below. Figure 10 shows how many trout were kept by anglers from each catchment. While a high number were caught from each catchment with some anglers catching 20+ fish, most anglers chose to release their trout. Over both catchments 80- 90% of respondents kept 0 trout regardless of the number of days fishing.

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Trout Caught

Figure 9: Total Trout Caught in West Coast Backcountry Fisheries by Heli Access Survey Respondents

Figure 10: Total Trout Kept by Survey Respondents from Each West Coast Backcountry Catchment

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Angler Satisfaction

Previous backcountry angler surveys have found that angler satisfaction is not simply a derivative of the number of trout caught, but a combination of the fishing experience, scenic environment, sense of remoteness, pristine environment, large trout seen and positive angler interactions. As part of the survey anglers were asked to rate their backcountry fishing experience on a scale of 1- 5, with options for very satisfied, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied and very dissatisfied, along with an option for not fishing that catchment. Figure 11 below represents how anglers viewed their experience in each West Coast catchment during the 2017/18 season.

Catchment

Figure 11: Angler Satisfaction Within the West Coast Region Backcountry Catchments 2017/18.

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Backcountry Drift Diving Results 2018

Karamea River: (Upstream of the Crow site) The Karamea River Upstream of the Crow Confluence provided similar results to last season with 55 small trout/km, 19 medium trout/km and 47 large trout/km.

Figure 12: Karamea River Drift Diving Results Upstream of Crow Confluence.

Karamea River: (Downstream of the Crow site) Consistent with upstream of the Crow confluence, the section downstream of the Crow River confluence showed results similar to the previous year’s dive, with 67 small trout/km, 15 medium trout/km and 47 large trout/km. More large trout were present through this section than last year.

Figure 13: Karamea River Drift Diving Results Downstream of Crow Confluence.

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Karamea River: (Karamea Bend site) The Karamea River upstream from the Karamea Bend showed fewer fish this year with 9 small trout/km, 22 medium trout/km and 25 large trout/km. Substrate through this section was notably different to the sites upstream, with longer slow-moving pools containing increased amounts of small shingle and silt on the riverbed.

Figure 14: Karamea River Drift Diving Results Bend Site

Mokihinui River: (South Branch site) The Mokihinui South Branch showed far less small and medium trout than what was observed during last year’s dive, with results looking more like that of the late 1980’s. Few small and medium trout and 45 large trout/km.

Figure 15: Mokihinui River Drift Diving Results South Branch Site.

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Mokihinui River: (North Branch site)

Poor Visibility, second half of dive invalid

Figure 16: Mokihinui River Drift Diving Results North Branch Site.

Mokihinui River: (Below Gorge) The other site dived in the Mokihinui River was just downstream of the lower gorge in the North Branch. This was considered better trout habitat than the usual site dived just above the Mokihinui Forks. This section provided 41 small trout/km, 16 medium trout/km and 20 large trout/km.

Figure 17: Mokihinui River Below Lower Gorge On The North Branch

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Dives in the Backcountry Area of the Karamea have resulted in similar trout densities to what was observed in 2017 adjacent to the Crow River confluence. Further down at the Karamea Bend site, trout numbers continue to drop from previous dives of this section. Habitat may have changed somewhat in this area as the pools are slow moving with large areas of fine silt, and in general appear to be of low productivity in fishery terms. Anglers have said that this section had fished well in the past.

The dive of the South Branch of the Mokihinui provided far fewer small and medium sized trout than last year meaning the results were more like what was observed in 1987 and 1990. Last year was a season of flooding and consistently high flows throughout much of the angling season. Perhaps more fish were pushed out of adjacent tributaries into this stretch last season from flooding.

On the north branch a new site was dived just downstream from the gorge above the Mokihinui Forks. This section held more medium and small classed trout than what have been seen at the other North Branch site and will be the section dived in future when accessing the Mokihinui North Branch trout population.

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Discussion

This year’s backcountry surveys suggest the Upper Karamea and Mokihinui Rivers have again seen high angler usage, with more overseas visiting anglers than kiwis fishing the West Coast Backcountry Area. Most resident anglers are either Nelson/Marlborough or North Canterbury based. Both catchments were both low and clear for much of early summer providing more angling opportunities than the previous season.

Looking at the responses for average nights stayed and total days fished, most anglers tended to stay and fish between one and four days, although a considerable proportion stayed on for 6-7 days. Some stayed longer, with stays of up to 10 and 14 nights. This didn’t appear so prevalent in last year’s survey, however poor weather in the 2016/17 probably naturally reduced long stay angler visits. Where angling pressure shows signs of being an issue, as discussed in the past, a mechanism for limiting extended stays is an obvious first step. Elsewhere this is addressed by controlled fisheries being implemented. Additionally, 18.5% of respondents made more than 3 separate trips into the West Coast Backcountry Fisheries.

Approximately 9% of respondents were fishing guides, suggesting a relatively high number of guides operating in these catchments last season.

While helicopter access is commonly perceived by many as an access option only really used by foreign anglers and guides, both this and last year’s surveys suggest there are still a relatively high number of kiwi non-commercial anglers utilising this access method. In reality, many licence holders may struggle to have the time to enter the upper reaches of the Karamea catchment by foot.

Angler satisfaction proved to be similar to that observed during the previous seasons survey. When comparing adjusted results from this survey, with the removal of those that didn’t fish a` particular catchment and averages for the options of the 2016-17 survey where respondents were observed as resident and non-resident groups, the following can be concluded. In the 2017/18 sports fishing season, 14.4% of anglers in the Karamea Backcountry were in the classifications of dissatisfied or very dissatisfied vs 11.5% from 2016/17. While 74.66% were either satisfied or very satisfied vs 71.5% from last year’s survey. For the Mokihinui 22.66% were very dissatisfied or dissatisfied from this survey compared with 21.2% from the last survey, although there was a reduction in those selecting very dissatisfied. There was also an increase in satisfied of very satisfied anglers in this catchment, from 63.5% in 2016/17, to 71.99% this year. For both catchments, fewer anglers chose the neutral option in the latest survey.

Most respondents didn’t keep trout or kept very few. A change to the limit, to just one trout per day would be a useful measure to prevent high numbers of fish being taken from these areas. This would have little impact to the majority of anglers, given that most are already practising catch and release.

Drift diving in general provided similar results to previous dives. Once again, many fish were observed holding within the deeper pools rather than out in boulder runs. Given that trout densities appear to be of less concern than the fish behaviour, it may be worth the council considering spending the expenses of drift diving on gaining increased data of rivers within

West Coast Backcountry Fishery Report 2018 Page 15 of 25 the wilderness area for future management rather than diving the same sections done in the past two years. Alternatively, it may be useful diving areas where any form of new regulation is introduced, i.e. if a controlled fishery was introduced. The allocated backcountry funds may also be better spent on management of angler usage in the area.

Given that the dissatisfaction rates of the Mokihinui are again higher than the Karamea, it may be worth increasing management in this catchment firstly. For example, in terms of trialling a controlled fishery, it would be easier to administer than the Karamea with easier access. This would mean that particularly busy sections such as the South Branch and near the Mokihinui Forks may provide better angling and fewer negative angler encounters. It could serve as a useful trial to see if such regulations have the desired outcome for licence holders. It can be expected that wherever there is restricted access implemented, there will be increased usage passed on to similar waters nearby.

Comments from survey respondents are provided in Appendix 2. A significant number of comments are from local anglers disgruntled because of the number of guides and non- resident anglers heavily fishing waters they used to visit. Some form of controlled fishery may be the only method currently available to manage this. Certain clauses could be added such as non-residents only being able to visit a catchment once vs resident anglers being able to book trips whenever they like for numerous visits. Perhaps restricted access of non-resident anglers during holiday periods could be option. While it is not an intention to discriminate between resident and non-resident anglers, the fact is the two groups are different users. Likewise, with kiwi anglers going overseas, when an angler goes on a fishing holiday, what they do mostly is fish. This equals high angler hours per angler. Restrictions on visits to certain catchments means anglers fishing a great deal during a season cannot go back and continually fish the best piece of water they have found or continually target reaches containing trophy fish.

Perhaps our next survey could be as simple as asking active licence holders themselves how they see the West Coast Backcountry Fishery catchments being managed. Do they want to try and restore the area to the perceived state it was decades earlier and have undisturbed water ahead of them at the expense of unrestricted access? Or would they prefer just to have the opportunity to be in these catchments whenever they like? Staff Recommendations

• Survey anglers to determine if they approve of restricted access as a form of fishery management.

• Change the bag limit to one trout per day in the West Coast Backcountry Fishery area during the next round of regulation setting.

• That council receives this report. References

Unwin, M.J. (2016). Angler usage of New Zealand lake and river fisheries: results from the 2014/15 National Angling Survey.

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Appendices

Appendix 1: Questions Asked During Backcountry Angler Survey 2017/18

Q1: During the 2017/18 fishing season did you fish a backcountry designated fishery within the Nelson/Marlborough or the West Coast region?

Q2: Did you fish in the West Coast Region's backcountry fishery areas? That is: the Karamea or the Mokihinui river catchments (including tributaries)

Q3: Are you a New Zealand resident? That is: you hold a NZ birth certificate or passport or citizenship, or you hold a permanent resident visa?

Q4: Which Fish and Game Region do you hold your fishing licence with? (if unsure, please select the region where you live)

Q5: Are you a fishing guide?

Q6: Did you use a helicopter to access the backcountry area?

Q7: Which river(s) did you access via helicopter?

Q8: How many trips (visits) did you do into the West Coast backcountry fishery?

Q9: Please enter the total number of days you fished in Karamea or the Mokihinui River and/or its tributaries.

Q10: Did you fish any waters within the Kahurangi Wilderness Area? if so, which rivers? This link gives you access to the wilderness area map.http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/about- doc/role/policies-and-plans/kahurangi-map3.pdf

Q11: What was your average length of overnight stay in the West Coast backcountry fishing area? (if only one visit please enter the number of nights you stayed)

Q12: In total for the season, approximately how many fish did you land from each designated backcountry fishery you fished?

Q13: In total for the season, approximately how many fish did you keep from each designated backcountry fishing area?

Q14: Overall, how would you rate your experience in the West Coast backcountry fishery?

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Appendix 2: All Angler Feedback/Comments from West Coast and Nelson/Marlborough Backcountry Survey 2017/18 Season:

The Travers is destroyed by Guides. Out of control No good fishing on Wairau and Goulter this year, but likely mostly due to rough hot weather condition Several fish appeared very wary of the Royal Wolf flys in November, suggesting a potentially high rate of fishing early in the season as well. Tramped up to Goat Creek via Seddonville spent 3 days fishing 1.5km upsteam/downstream of hut, did not sight any fish or hook any fish in this water. Occasional fish lying in deep runs river was in great condition should have sighted fish.

Goulter River is a beautiful river. But I got disturbed by overflying helicopters that just landed couple hundred meters in front of me. I dont understandy anyway why you would fly in to the Geoulter as the hike in is very easy. Hopefully 2019 will be better. Pray for a cool summer ! Anglers need to be informed that the huts on the Mokhihinui River are extremely busy due to the large numbers of mountain bikers frequenting the track these days. No No I fished the Rough R for a productive , delightful , one day excursion. Is the Rough not a back country river? , I appreciate the research you guys are doing to maintain this very special area Something needs to be done about the overseas anglers (mainly young Scandanavians) who fish the same spot on the same river for eg. 20 days straight No Fish numbers seen and landed was very low in comparison with the lower Wairau but we did get plenty of bites. The scenery is always superb and its always a great day. Keep up the good work Too many foreign anglers on the rivers on weekends, etc. I came across one group of anglers who has been camped for 1 week and routinely fished the river.

no When you know your spot, where the fish are and when to go when fewer people are there e.g. mid week then it can be brilliant. Awesome experience. Great job! Gorgeous country lots of bugs biting No Disappointing due to drought conditions which would have been known before we flew in . Probably will never do another back country fishing trip Very much less fish and smaller size Suspect it has to do with poison leaching from 10/80 drops !!! Very enjoyable fishing in great weather this season ! fished the upper wairau on 3 occasions while passing through the area, spin fishing only and only for about 2hrs each time. 3 small trout caught and released. I have fished the Upper Matakitaki every season since 1992. Unfortunately I have noticed a huge drop off in fish numbers over that time. I believe climatic conditions in recent years have continued to unsettle the riverbed with degradation of pools and holding water. However I think fishing pressure has increased dramatically in this catchment also, and fishing to the small number of sighted fish over recent years has become quite challenging and frustrating at times, requiring walking great distances at times. Unrestricted fishing from Wash Bridge to at least Rainbow Station would allow beginners,visitors or

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anglers with less than full season permits a more equitable arrangement and to enjoy the wairau too As an "amateur" fisherman perhaps I was not completely unbiased, but I had a sense that the number of guides and pressure they brought in was excessive. It also did seem unfair that the early fishing in much of the river was restricted to guided parties because of the restrictions on the rainbow station road. no better weather would have been good Restricted guided fishing who seem to think they have priority no I’m looking forward to return next season I have fished the Goulter River for 25 years and the disrespect shown by helicopter borne on opening day has put me off fishing. I believe that even on opening day the fish seem to have changed their behaviour. They were very sullen. This should be a no fly in river. To easy fall back position for guides to fly in when other rivers are fresh and not fishable. The helicopters buzzing overhead last opening day was not conducive to having a great fishing experience. No The brown trout in the Upper Wairau are very hard to catch so that you see lots of unresponsive big fish No Guide noted our intended beat per note on windscreen . However a later arrival cut in on the beat and scented the water . No fish sighted after that Too many fishers for a brown trout area. We must limit the number fishing. Guides have wrecked what was so great Too many overseas anglers No Beautiful riers but fish are incredibly hard to catch for a novice fly fisherman Fishing was enjoyable, unfortunately did not have any connection with the guide, which spoiled it somewhat No Lost a lot of fish, saw no other fishers, sublime places raise the price for non resident licenses and require licensed guide accompaniment. Wilderness areas overrun with foreign fishers who clog our huts and rivers without understanding our kiwi fishing culture that respects others enjoyment.Sad decline in fishery last 20yrs These rivers are heavely fish by fishing guides and overseas guest. If this continues then they need to pay a premium to access our unique waterways. no Keep up the good work. Helicopter access should be strictly limited to backcountry rivers that have good walking access such as Karamea Crow Mokihinui. Also catch limits should apply to catch and release- I have experience of guided parties admitting to catching and releasing in excess of 10 fish in the Mokihinui .Helicopter access to the Moeraki should be banned altogether since this river is easily accessed on foot and it is one of the few West Coast river catchments that is completely unmodified. It also in a World Heritage area. Numbers of large fish is down but lots more juveniles in the river systems. No It rains a lot! Fished upper Aorere. Fantastic river. Many fish spotted were sitting on the bottom with black coloration seeming almost dead and not interested in anything. Very concerning to the guides. Stressed by earlier drought conditions in Dec.?? I fished in January. I think your backcountry is a threatened resource. Some system of

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limiting access to avoid over fishing and stricter and visible enforcement of the hut system is needed. I hope it can be done. Protect would you have before it is lost or damaged. Beautiful country and great people! Too many guides on rivers hogging huge stretches of water. Should not have to pay access fee through Rainbow for a road initially paid for by taxpayer. What has F&G done to seek no fee access for locals? no The river I fished had received a lot of pressure while the numbers were OK they were ultra spooky people {tourist} stay in the River system for to many days hammer far too much . I would like to see more transparency on licences especially as to guided parties and their clients I had a couple of run ins with local guides and their clients and I very much doubt that they (the client) had the appropriate licence to fish the resource dogs being used in the region it was better in 2016 No In reference to fishing the South Island, after 15 years of fishing predominantly the west coast, McKenzie, Otago areas we have seen a rapid decline in fishing environmental conditions over the past 5 years. The poor water quality, extensive growth of weed beds, fish size and numbers have changed our fishing experience. As fly only fishermen we are the canaries in the coal mine to environmental change and its impact on fishing, it is with great sadness that we are no longer able to share with others the breathtaking fishing experiences of the 90s and early 2000s. Absolutely gutted to walk into the Goulter and have guides landing with clients from helicopters ahead at the best spots after spotting fish from the air, come on fish and game protect backcountry fisheries . helicopter landings only permitted at hut locations. rivers must be foot access only. I have fished west Coast back country since 1986. The biggest problem now is not about catching fish but avoiding GUIDES and their clients. We are selling ourselves down the river . It's a good thing thank you No Do not give a back country endorsement to anyone who does not complete the questionnaire. Give Karen a pay rise. Kick Rhys up the bum no I fished the D'Urville for a day and found at least three guides ahead of us. We could do with some rivers that are free from guides. I saw guides and their clients on most of my trips. Including the Baton which was heavily fished on the 5 occasions I visited which is frankly unsustainable. The guide numbers seem to be going up and up. There has to be a limit and protected water. No Had an amazing trip ,and in very great full for all the Help and guidance I received . Great time. Fished the Greenstone for 5 days. January 8 to the 13th A great overall experience. Fished the upper Cobb with very poor results all good I would like to see increase licensing costs for non-residents. We are giving away our unique experience at too lower a price. Guides need to respect other users as they expect the same from them. I was jumped on by guides on several occasions, and given incorrect info on their plans. If they want respect they need to give it as well. Upper Wairau is hammered above 6 Mile locked gate early season before the public can get in there. Travers had several guides there several times. Leatham, although not back country had guide

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pressure. Would be nice if there was a guide free area. Lots of irresponsible gun owner in the area. Very uneducated in gun safety. Was actually pretty disturbing Fished the Greenstone and Caples rivers during January. The Greenstone was full of Didymo and no fish. That Caples had much less Didymo and more fish.

No cicadas around in south Westland all summer. ? I think it was bad timing more than anything. I tramped in there straight after a major storm and it was probably the only fishable river in the area at the time. I saw 8 other anglers, with atleast 1 group being flown in just above me, they fished for 2 days. Great scenery, but fish numbers down, and most fish were not active. There was a lot of rain during our trip and waters were dirty. I did not come across many fish at all in the Karamea Something needs to be done about all the non residents utilising our resource and not treating it the way kiwis do. In other country's it is mandatory to have a guide to fish if you are a non resident. How about implementing something like this in nz and protect out waters. It would also create revinue if they had to pay a guide ! Please talk to the Owen river guides, especially one of the younger ones who didn’t know anything about the etiquettes of fly fishing No Both the Goulter and the Matakitaki were amazing places. The only 'negative' was that someone had clearly been fishing the Goulter prior to our arrival which made the fishing very difficult. Travers is quite beautiful no In general continuing pressure on all fisheries. Unregulated guiding is a significant factor. Water quality, dairying forestry all ongoing negative influences Continuous promotion of back country fishing with a paralleled deterioration in the fishing experience is rapidly resulting in back country fishing becoming an elitist experience for the overseas visitor and the well healed. Heavy fishing pressure! But absolutely beautiful area and fish :) Need more time No If you hit it right it's great if you don't it's not same as any other river. My friends have had issues with the ranger in the Travers fishing down on them and that has been detrimental to the fish and game image. Once I had 4 parties fishing the Travers other than us and we still caught fish so it can handle pressure the alarming bit was that one bloke had been in there a week. Very enjoyable. Encountered some other fishermen on the upper matakitaki, but we were able to reach an agreement to share the water no Raise the license fee for international anglers. It will lessons the pressure on the resouce and not affect your revenue. We fished between novenber and december and it was very hot and low water and the browns were very very spookie and we had to be better than ever with 20feet tippet and 6x pound. And we had success. Putting the label 'Backcountry' simply put the crosshairs on these rivers and made them more of a target. The Travers was frustrating as 4 out of 5 days were ruined by an over zealous ranger walking downstream to check licences. That was bad enough but he was also fishing . He ruined our days fishing from wherever we were unfortunate to meet him. no Very disappointed with the number of fish encountered and the condition of those caught. Generally

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2018 was a poor season. A pitty that the pressure has gone up in the last decades. to solve this limit helicopter acces.. To reduce pressure on the backcountryfisheries please stop the degradation from ordinairy riversystems. dairyfarming!! that way the number of fisherman is more spread. I made the trip to nz 4 times in the last 30 years.. I hope i will be able to do it again... if regulations permit for free guys like me!!! need to sort the number of guides and foreigners on the rivers We went fishing in 2 backcountry rivers that we know of. On the South Island we went on the Lyell river, where the water was beautiful and plenty of fish, sadly the rain ensured no fish were caught. We also went to the upper Oreti where the fish where far and few between but we scared one moster brown whilst battling the wind. Overall we had a bit of shitty luck with the weather on our trip but bagged a few good ones, sadly none one the Backcountry fishing sites. There are far too many foreign freedom anglers in our fisheries having a massively negative impact. No No Love the miss-called 'Rainbow' river--but frequently found the Wairau rivers high/dirty. Nice pic-nics in the Rainbow but little fishing. My worst season ever! I fished Anatoki headwaters for 4 days and I was surprised how few fish I encountered Fished the Okunu. Healthy Brown Trout, 1-2 fish every KM. Heavy rain in the backcountry precluded going fishing at the times I was free no No Thanks Tourist anglers and entitled guides are ruining our fishery. Why do F&G allow this? What benefit do N.Z. anglers gain from foreign anglers paying guide fees.....zero. Foreign anglers are a plague on Nelson/ Marlborough Rivers. Do you ever check the Durville or Sabine Huts?....i used to fish the area regularly until it was taken over by foreign anglers and now the same applies to the Upper Wairau/Rainbow. Mongrel guides think they own the rivers and F&G allows them to do it. Guides need to be restricted Upper Matakitaki is hopeless compared to 10 years ago. Habitat and holding water lost due to series of floods 7 or 8 years ago and has not recovered. fished mokihinui a two years ago and it was very good fishing,but this year it looked like a dead river It seems a bit silly having to have no method of proving a 'back country' under the present method of licence identification. High fish numbers good to see the quality of fish keep the pressure off from guides and over seas visitors. To many of them spoil our experience ( Joe blogs local fishermen) Just amazing waters and native fish! Good organized with APP/Homepage.....i'll come back once to this fly fishing paradies! slips on upper river had discolored the water so fishing was limited I had a fall and broke my rod approaching the river after walking in via old ghost road so not the river's fault I was dissatisfied I think it was a tough year because of the storms. We went to Hamner Springs and it rained a small amount all the local rivers went milky very fast because of the silt. But went to the Sexton had a ball clear as, so horses for courses. keep up the good work Great sceneries two fish with two casts in the Crooked going into lske Brunn Great fishing ywo fish Great fishing .beautiful

The fish were very spooky, but who cares it's a magnificent stream and valley. Heads up. The plastic box that holds the "fishing upstream cards" on the sign at 6 mile creek at the

West Coast Backcountry Fishery Report 2018 Page 22 of 25

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Wairau, needs a hole drilled in the bottom of it. Someone had left the top flap open and rain had gotten in and made all the cards soggy. I have fished Mokihinui river a two years ago.In that time we have landed so many of fish and we released them all.This year the river looked empty,very sad to see that. guide pressure is becoming a real issue. The goulter gets a lot of early pressure with lower reaches showing sometimes 3 guides as access is easy. by early december fish are extremely wary. The Travers is just as pressured if not more so. The experience of "backcountry" fishing is becoming one of outdoors enjoyment rather than the expectation of even being able to present a fly. Could do with more access points on the Matakitaki river No, thank you Despite 3 days of rest from anglers due to a moderate flood event, the fish were still very spooky and basically uncatchable, showing odd behaviour (in a group together in slack water at rear of pool and not feeding), which I firmly believe is from angler pressure. Had a helicopter fly in that day with guide/client intending to fish the same water but luckily they saw us and went downstream. On catching up later the guide indicated they had a similar day too. We only got 1 fish (5lbs) which we fluked on the way home up a side stream not frequently fished. We had intended on stating the night and fishing another day but, due to the poor fishing, we walked back out and went home. If you have a good competent guide (which I did) he will always find excellent water and never see another angler! I think choppers fly ins should be more restricted and more rivers classed into no fly in rivers , I feel this would have a great benafit to overall fish numbers and sizes of fish in fragile fisheries Also I'd like to see stockings of rainbows introduced into more rivers , though I'm not an expert in this and I'm sure F&G investigate the potential stockings , survival , compatabilities and risks associated with this , and also assume there are political reasons that may restrict the liberation of bows into river systems .. In closing , I have had an absolute wonderful time fishing this area and met a couple of rangers , 1 in particular who has made me feel so welcome and is a great ambassador for the F&G for the South Island ,is so passionate about his areas and roles, his name Jacob Lucas , a real statesman for South Island F&G Thanks for privileges of fishing such wonderful waters Darren we love these fisheries I think to maintain the backcountry fisheries, they should be guided only. Fished Larrys by helicopter for small numbers of fish after a big fresh . River looked good but it was tough going . The guide was excellent. Gorgeous rivers with light fishing pressure. Beautiful! No additional comments

No seems to be more fishermen around than in previous years Not to be repeated. Water conditions were very low. Despite access by helicopter the water was [from reading journals at the hut] quite heavily fished I am not in favor of the extra bureaucracy.

No Don't over-complicate it fellas. By zoning the upper Matakitaki River a backcountry river you have encouraged enormous pressure on a very fragile fishery. On all 3 occasions I guided clients on the very upper section of river, we were jumped by non resident non guided anglers. To groups were European and one angler was from the United States. The fishing educate of many of these non resident Trout Bums is becoming a huge problem, not only on the backcountry rivers, and needs to be addressed. My clients who spend much

West Coast Backcountry Fishery Report 2018 Page 23 of 25

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money in our country on there fishing holidays are astonished by the lack of control on these individuals who are ruining there fishing experience. the access to the goulter like many other areas around marlborough is bloody piss poor to much over grown stuff where theres a fish and game sign Upper Wairau was blown out by heavy rain and did not clear The number of anglers and very hot January made fishing challenging. But I still enjoyed my visit very much and did a lot of sightseeing. Awesome guides thrashing the valley mataki, every day Spent a day walking into Mid Goulter Hut with my wife. Arrived at Hut to find 2 guides and two US anglers had choppered in before us. I think now that the "Back Country" endorsments have been introduced it has put more pressure on these waterways , as in previous years I have had great experiences on them, the last two seasons have been very poor, I no longer get excited about exploring these rivers. No Great to see some rangers floating about this last season,as we do encounter the odd ‘twit’,otherwise good. Whent fishing to the Owen Lodge excellent fishing and hospilati No Hard fishing at end of season. Fish didn‘t feed, rivers looked like they have high fishing pressure during the season Branch and Letham must become Back country fisheries. I would like to see some fly-fishing only rivers specially the one been recently repopulated or the ones receiving high angling pressure (in north island there are many rivers like that) No Kill zone for the Upper Wairau, the fishes up there are in pristine condition with very good genetic that allows them to grow up to 10+ pounds, they should not be taken away under any circumstance. NO KILL and FLY FISHING ONLY will preserve the beautiful ecosystem we have up there. Sorry... Not beeing too familiar with the regions, my fishing was in another region. No Less choppers or better control in order for the normal day to day New Zealander to also hike a day or two up a river without any chopper or guide interference I have been fishing in the Nelson/Marlborough region for 19 years, always with my excellent guide, Paul van de Loo. I have fished a great many of the rivers in the area, but not rivers flowing into the Nelson Lakes. I used to go to some rivers (mainly Larry's Creek) by helicopter, but stopped many years ago because of the expense and because Paul could take me to places where I was equally successful: for example a 12.25lb fish from the middle Mataki and a 13lb fish from the Boyle. The Goulter and Wairau have fished very well in previous years. Fishing was slow/very slow this year. My assumption is that this was due to high temps/low water in Nov/Dec and the continued silt runoff from the East Coast earthquake last year (the lower Wairau looked like concrete slurry). This year's experience will have no effect on future fishing plans. 'Stuff happens' and you just mush on. Many backcountry rivers start to be very busy with guided tourists, and they often consider to have priority because of the fees they are paying. This is also valid for other rivers, Motueka and Wangapeka. Fished Owen River for six days. Fantastic experience - cast to a lot of big fish every day. Caught two dream fish and several normals. I was in over a weekend and didn't see any other fishermen. Slow moving clear water and very spooky fish. Thank you for the survey. I would welcome limited access regulations. Such as date slots by permit. The quality fishing experience was enhanced by solitude and unpressurized fish. I would welcome catch-and-release regulations. I appreciate that I do not live in New Zealand and I believe the residents should take top priority. Cheers Why does one now have to specify which acclimatisation area you wish to fish in when previously the

West Coast Backcountry Fishery Report 2018 Page 24 of 25

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licence covered with a few exceptions the whole country ? The local gatekeeper expressed surprise that we were there as recreational fishermen as almost all other visitors were with guides. The fish seen were in very poor condition from constant harassment by guides and their clients. Also guides had access to the river much earlier than local anglers. My experience saw relatively small fish and limited numbers of fish No so seems to be working well in areas I’ve fished many thanks No Catch and release for non res anglers! Clear water, excellent fishing! Many eels by the pier. They bit some girl while she was swimming. Coldwater hut was great. (Travers) We fished through the Owen River Lodge. They did a great job of keeping us spread out and not overfishing. Only saw 1 other fisherman in 6 days. Noticed a lot more fishermen taking fish, ignoring fishing rules and overstaying in huts. Unhappy with the amount of fishing pressure seen in the backcountry of NZ. Regulating guides via helicopter as well as regulating # of nights spent in backcountry huts here would help immensely. Restrict the guides and overseas fisherman on these rivers just like all the other country's do Get YOUR SHIT TOGETHER Rubbish that has been left about the place. paid for trip & heli with my nz tax paid dollars only to be jumped by foreign anglers camping on river. Something needs to be done about foreign anglers getting best fishing spots over NZ tax paying and rate paying citizens No More beat systems! Or a lottery ticket beat system would be great, that way you wouldn;t get to a beat and find someone where you wanted to fish. I was always a bit afraid to mission out somewhere and then find a helicopter... No

West Coast Backcountry Fishery Report 2018 Page 25 of 25