Shared Passion

At an age when some people might prefer a cup of tea and a lie down I have recently reawakened my affair with dirt bikes. Early on Sunday mornings I am off down Auckland's southern motorway hauling the beast to some farmer's field in far off Waikato to play in the mud as my wife calls it.

 

These trips have opened my eyes to the phenomenon of the recreational dollar in full flood.The motorway is filled with people headed in different directions to spend their scarce money and time in pursuit of happiness.  A procession of jetskis, kayaks , surfboards and boats of every size compete with mountain bikes , motorbikes , racing cars and a dozen other outdoor or what have become “adventure sports “

 

Our own increases in wealth and productivity combined with such devices as the GPS ,   4 stroke outboards and plastic canoes has created an ever increasing armada waging war against the denizens of the deep. Last week I was off the coast of Northland on a fairly average windy overcast weekday and I had to queue up to take my turn anchoring on the Ruahine Shoal. I can remember when this was considered a remote spot that could only be found by landmarks and interpreting the movements of the shoals of trevally and maomao on the surface. No more. When I dive there now I get the the feeling that most of the kingfish have seen several jigs that week and are often reluctant to approach, smart move.

 

What does this all mean? Like the dive shops and bicycle shops and Chinese factories that are all competing for our recreational dollar most of the readers of this magazine are competing in some way for a slice of our fantastic outdoor playground. As always competition brings out the best and the worst. Last week I waited for my shot at the prime spot. I did not pull up in roar of foam and tell someone to F off as this was my bit of ocean. But I have seen that done as I am sure so have many of you. I know two people who in the last year have been run over by speed boats while snorkelling , one is dead and the other will have lasting damage. An outboard skeg to the head is not pretty.

But if my loud and smelly dirt bike can coexist with cows and sheep and have the farmers blessing then surely we do not have to let “ road rage “ become “ boat ramp frenzy “

If you are a fisho who hates bloody spearfishers or a kayaker who thinks jetskis should be banned then you have to realize there are probably large groups of the population who don’t like what you do either. The pages of this magazine demonstrate the diversity of marine recreation. Somehow the ocean has to play host to groups of people with opposite views. For everyone that wants to save a whale there is someone else who wants to kill it.  Perhaps that is not a great example but you see what I mean. A few years as a commercial fisherman in New Zealand gave me some exposure to the complexities of the quota system and all its competing interests. A lot of people are not happy with everything about it but such is compromise. The quota machine grinds slowly forward and lo and behold some sensible decisions are made eventually. There have been cuts to some over fished quotas , striped marlin are protected ( sort of )

Let's hope the kahawai situation ends up in recreational heaven.

 

Our coastline is finite but our demands on it are not. By definition this will require cooperation and compromise. Sometimes you will not be the first boat on your favorite reef. Sometimes there will be tourist boats scaring the fish at Cape Brett and sometimes there will be a bloody jetski carving up a surfbreak. Get used to it as it will not get any less.

 

So my own personal plea is to watch out for that little float and dive flag between your skeg and that snorkeller's head. Give that kayak fisher a wide berth with your powerboat instead of swamping him and before you write to the local council trying to ban those bloody jetskis remember there are probably people writing right now to try and ban all forms of fishing...or not.

 

Live and let live

 

Steve Crabtree