Hello all a quick update.

My thanks to those who are sending their donations in, great stuff.
Planning is well underway in preparing to release these kingfish and we have made the following application to Bio Security for the release of which we hope to secure the approvals shortly.

The enormity of the task is just now coming home especially the problems associated with transporting large fish distances so all these issues are now being worked through

Following is a clip of the application to release. This is accompanied with a farm consent and all the necessary documentation required. My thanks to Mfish for facilitating this process with some urgency.

Application to release juvenile kingfish into the wild.
On behalf of the NZ Recreational Fishing Council and its "Kingfish go wild" campaign in association with Sanford Limited and NIWA, I would seek your approval to release these NIWA bred juvenile kingfish currently held at the on growing facility at Parengarenga marine farm in the far north. These fish are being purchased by the "Kingfish go wild" project for release in to the wild as an exercise to potentially improve our knowledge of future localised kingfish enhancement on behalf of the public good.
The fish selected as being suitable for release will vary in size and will be released at sites near to the farm for larger fish and for the smaller fish which will have the ability to travel further south to suitable sites including the Noises group of island in the Hauraki Gulf.

We are currently waiting for a best estimate inventory of the range of fish sizes currently held in the farm and once this is available we will forward this information along with confirmed sites and numbers once released.

Given that you have the best health information of the fish stock from NIWA who will be in charge of identifying the suitable fish which will have the best opportunity of transiting the change into the wild I can offer no further comment other than say the farm to our best knowledge is currently disease free and until closure is still exporting chilled fish through its normal channels.

We will also be tagging a portion of these fish (20%) for two purposes. First to determine survival and to determine whether these fish will stay locally and become resident fish for future enhancement opportunities.
Secondly is to gain a knowledge from recovered fish of health, size growth and movement.

The fish tags will carry an individual number and PO Box 19747 marking on one side and opposite will be marked www.kingfishgowild.co.nz
We are committed to keep this web site alive and to provide an on line reporting ability for all tagged captures. These reports will also appear on the web site

NIWA personnel will be supervising the selection, tagging, transport and release program.

Temperature recordings will be done at all sites and the fish will under go a short transition period to adjust to temperature changes. We anticipate that these changes will not be greater than what they would experience naturally in the wild through natural movement.

All mortalities (floaters) that occur at the time or within 30 mins after the release will be recovered recorded and then packed for disposal as cray bait. We have a fisherman who is prepared to purchase these fish at cost.

Alternative arrangements are being made with the farm management for the disposal of fish not identified as suitable for release.

I hope this meets with your approval. We will of course be maintaining a close liaison with Mfish on progress throughout this project.

We anticipate having the Minister of Fisheries formally open the release program.

Please give me a call if you need further information.

Kind regards

Keith

Keith Ingram
President
NZ Recreational Fishing Council
4 Prince Regent Drive
Half Moon Bay
Auckland

Ph: 09 5334336
Fax:09 5334337
Mob:0274584747

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