Marine recreational fishing is a highly developed activity and has an increasingly global following. In New Zealand, over 30 % of the population participate in recreational fishing and the annual harvest of some species is larger than the commercial catch. It is therefore vital for resource management to include data on recreational take. Since marine recreational fishing and charter boat fisheries in New Zealand are managed outside the Quota Management System (QMS), Area Management Tools (AMT) such as taiapure (local fishery), mataitai (reserves) rahui (temporary closures) can be used to ensure sustainability of certain coastal areas affected by fishing and other activity. The Akaroa Harbour Taiapure was established in 2006 and is currently the only taiapure in Canterbury. The main objective with this study was to characterise the recreational fishery in the Akaroa Harbour Taiapure in order to provide management solutions for this area. Three surveys were set up whereby two were specifically designed to record the recreational take landed on the four most frequently used slipways in Akaroa Harbour. A third survey was to gauge local resident‟s perception on recreational fisheries over time. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used and appropriate statistical analysis applied. Over 451 intercept interviews were conducted on slipways on Banks Peninsula and 138 trip records were returned. Main findings include significant differences in target and landed species, also a shift in areas mostly fished since the previous survey in 1997 by the Ministry of Fisheries. The most frequently landed fish in this study included blue cod, flounder, rock lobster and perch. The perception survey revealed a strong community bond to recreational fishing and a need for increased local input in the management of the Akaroa Harbour Taiapure. The three surveys are recommended to be continued over time in order to create a data base on recreational fishing and also to document local and indigenous knowledge on marine conservation.

Evidence for reduced reproductive success (RS) of wild spawning hatchery-reared fish invites serious consideration with regard to the detrimental effects on subsequent generations of wild populations. Mate choice was evaluated as a potential mechanism contributing to these observed RS differences using a previous pedigree of wild spawning hatchery-reared and wild origin coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Genetic variance at immune-relevant genes was used as ametric toexaminematechoice. Twoyears (2005 and2006)of threewild spawning mate pair classes were examined: wild x wild (W x W), hatchery x hatchery (H x H), and wild x hatchery (W x H). We tested for: (1) a departure from random expectations with regard to mate pair allelic diversity at immune-relevant markers, (2) a correlation between immune-relevant gene diversity and mate pair RS, and (3) distinguishable differences between mate choice strategies used by hatchery-reared and wild origin coho. Eight immune-relevant gene-linked microsatellite markers were used to evaluate mate choice; four linked to immune-relevant expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and four linked to the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). We found evidence for non-random mating between 2006 W x H mate pairs at BHMS429,an MHC-linked marker, and at SsalR016TKU,an immune-relevantEST-linked marker, which was identified as a vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein. Non-random mating was also evident between 2005 H x H pairs at SsalR015TKU,an immune-relevantEST-linkedmarker,thoughno putativegene was identified. All other pair classes did not display a significant mate choice signature. We found a significant correlation between mate pair RS and immune gene diversity among 2005 and 2006 W x W mate pairs as well as 2006 W x H mate pairs. Notably, H x H mate pair RS was not correlated to immune gene diversity in either year. Results suggest that mate choice and genetic compatibility may influence fitness of wild spawning coho. / Graduation date: 2013