The Topi and Whaitiri families along with Awarua Runanga want to reduce by half the quotas for recreational fishing around Ruapuke Island, which is about 20km southeast of Bluff — especially for pāua.
The Ministry for Primary Industries received an application for a mātatai reserve around Ruapuke Island which included the South Island fishing waters around the island, Green Island, Breaksea Island, the Hazelburg Group, Bird Island, White Island and Lee Island.
If established, the recreational fishing rules would not change, but the applicants wanted to propose a further bylaw and changes to the rules which would be consulted on separately if the application was approved by the ministry.
Applicant Ricki Topi, of Bluff, said they decided to take this step as the area had been overfished over the past decades because of its popularity.
"When I was a kid and I looked through the window, like 30, 40 years ago, there was like one boat going out [there]. Today, on a good day there are 180 boats going out to Ruapuke for a day.
"So you put that in calculation — you’ve got 180 boats going there and there’s four people in the boat and they are allowed 10 pāua each — what does it add up?
"There’s a whole lot, isn’t it?"
He said the island was private land which was exempt from the Treaty of Waitangi.
It was a very special place with a lot of history, pāua and kai - but it had been "hammered" by people who were not from the area, Mr Topi said.
"If I don’t do something about it today there’s not going to be a tomorrow.
"It’s not just recreation boats ... the commercial boats are going to be able to fish in there, but they’ll only be able to take 50% of the recreational take. All fishermen are happy with that."
Southern Charters owner Lindsay Turner agreed with Mr Topi.
He said he had been working in the area since 1994 and noticed the species had been affected throughout that time.
"They just need to tighten the rules.
"I agree the [quota of] pāua should be only five per person, cutting [it] in half, and even the blue cod should be cut — let’s say five per person in the boat [at the moment it can take 15]," he said.
Mr Turner had "no doubt" the proposal was important.
He often saw "amateurs" going there and fishing with no regard for the area — or even taking more that they should.
There is a meeting on July 4 at Te Rau Aroha Marae about the proposal.
An MPI spokeswoman said the nominated tangata tiaki for the proposed mātatai reserve would also discuss with the local community a potential bylaw at the meeting.
