The Government is reviewing feedback on a proposal to cut crayfish catch limits around Northland.
It comes after a court ruling found the current limits don't fully take into account damage to the ecosystem, but there's disagreement over who should bear the burden.
"The recreational limit is set too high, our crayfish up here in Northland are a large crayfish and we don't need six crayfish per person," commercial fisherman Nat Davey said.
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is proposing cuts to the crayfish quota which could see the recreational daily limit reduced from six to three per diver, and a reduction of up to 34 tonnes a year for commercial fishermen.
The review follows a High Court ruling that the catch limits were set too high, and causing damaging knock-on effects to the marine eco-system.
Crayfish eat kina, which, if left unchecked, can create kina barrens — depriving other marine life of food and shelter.
"In three seasons we've had two commercial cuts and there's been no recreational cut so it's made it harder for us as a fisherman...you know, all our expenses have gone up, our baits doubled in price or tripled in price, our fuels tripled in price, maintenance has tripled in price; crayfish has stayed the same," Davey said.
However, some disagree, believing commercial fishermen should be sharing the responsibility.
"In my backyard we had a rāhui on the east coast to stop commercial fishermen putting out their pots. In six months that area was thriving again, fishing guru Matt Watson said.
MPI has received about 40 submissions and will make recommendations to the minister before he makes his decision next month.
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