The kingfish quietly settle in.

Reports from around the areas where we have released our kingfish have been steady with most reporting the fish spreading out in search of food.

Michael Bruce from NIWA ensures the Whangaroa kingfish depart safely. Photo courtesy Sandra Moore.

We have already had early reports of children catching these kingfish from local wharves the day after the release and while we encourage anglers to give th e fish a chance to settle into their new surroundings most have been released unharmed. Although we have reports of one hungry angler spiriting one away in a hurry. I need not remind any one that these fish are undersize and as such it is an offence to keep one. The moment these fish reached the wild they became the property of Mother nature and will remain so until they reach the MLS in about 18 to 24 months.

With many thousands of fish now released into the wild we are preparing to meet a commitment to the Waikato Raglan fishing community to deliver some 1100 fish to Raglan. Kingfish go Wild project has been embraced by these folk but the west coast and distance to travel has presented its own set of challenges. First because of the large water temperature variance the fish will need a chance to acclimatise. This is the riskiest transfer we have attempted to date, but to ensure that we have taken a responsible approach the local community have come together to raise extra funding to assist in covering the additional cost of this transfer. We have sought and got approval from Environment Waikato to build a temporary sea cage so that the fish maybe kept in a protected environment until they adjust and start to feed again on fish food. This is also a safeguard to ensure that we can recover any mortalities.

Once the fish are feeding again we then release the fish in a suitable area with baitfish on an incoming tide. We will be tagging the fish on Friday and the truck will leave at 0100 to be in Raglan by midday Saturday. Meanwhile the Raglan Sportfishing Club wit h support from Fletcher Steel, Decora Nets, Autokool, Raglan Couriers and Auto Trail will be constructing a sea cage in preparation for the arrival of their kingfish.

The Mayor, Peter Harris, and Town Councillor Clint Baddley will be present with the community to welcome the release. The cage will have to be removed by Sunday 30th after the kingfish are finally released to the wild. This is the only west coast release and we stand a chance of learning a great deal from it.

Meanwhile I ask that you all keep those donations coming in and please make the cheques out to Kingfish go Wild as the bills are coming in and we have to square off our accounts. On this note for those clubs that have asked a full statement of income and expenditure before paying their pledges this is a bit like the chicken and the egg. We need your full payment of pledges to meet budgeted costs. The majority of the fish have been released and we need to pay our bills before we can do our accounts. In saying this a full statement of income and expenditure will be made available on this web site after all income and accounts for payment has been accounted for.

To keep the books separate from the NZRFC and to protect the name as stated earlier, we have set up a separate company Kingfish go Wild Limited and in accordance with recommended business practices these accounts are managed by our friendly accountant who is a keen recreational fisher and member of our local game fish club and the NZRFC. All payments must be approved and signed by two signatories, one from recreational and one from Sanford Limited. I hope this meets with the approval of club members who have raised these questions.

Once again we are indebted to the team from NIWA and Lawson Cartage for pulling out the stops to meet our deadlines.

Now onto a sad note and I apologise in advance for using this update to pass this communication on. A dear and trusted friend has just crossed the bar. I am sorry to be the bearer of sad news when I advise that Max Hetherington, the Secretary Manager of the NZ Recreational Fishing Council, passed away at his home sometime during last night. Max was found by his daughters this evening in what can only be described as peacefully asleep. They have asked if we can contact all of our friends, colleagues and associates who new Max to ensure that every one is advised of his passing. Max attended the recent NZRFC conference in Hamilton last weekend where he had a chance to touch base with many of his fishing friends. He was a life member of both the NZU and NZRFC and had served extensively for both organisations. Max who had recently celebrated his 60th birthday is survived by his two daughter¹s Mary and Patricia. Its a sad day. I will advise of funeral details when these come to hand.

Keith Ingram

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