This follows on from a letter sent on behalf of three angling clubs in the Gore district criticising Fish & Game in the wake of a farmer’s boycott, and the resignation of Fish & Game Southland chairman Lindsay Withington earlier this month.
Federated Farmers Southland urged farmers to boycott Fish & Game and remove access signs for anglers from their land, following a court ruling in October last year.
The ruling will mean more than 3000 Southland farmers will have to apply for a resource consent just to continue farming, Federated Farmers said. Federated Farmers believed Fish & Game played a key role in that outcome.
Last month, it then pushed for its members to not buy duck-shooting licences from Southland Fish & Game to deprive the agency of income.
Mr Withington was the longest-serving member of the Fish and Game Southland council and announced his resignation earlier this month citing an excessive workload and a desire to spend more time with family and fishing.
This follows two resignations from the council last year, Kristina Placko and David Linklater also throwing in the towel.
Mr Linklater is still involved in the local fishing community and said his resignation was due in part to the operational side of the organisation.
"There’s been dissatisfaction with the management of Southland Fish & Game. We were not happy with the performance of [manager Zane Moss] and the chairman," he said.
Mr Linklater said the organisation had lost sight of the population it was supposed to advocate for, but he was hopeful new chairman Dave MacGregor, who was elected unanimously to replace Mr Withington, would be a breath of fresh air.
"I’m disappointed by the way they’re representing the anglers. With the new chairman, I hope we can move forward with a bit of dialogue, and improve the situation," he said.
"Part of it was to do with Federated Farmers, part of it was we were unhappy with [management], the performance of the CEO as well.
"[Mr Moss] had his own agenda, and that was a problem. It wasn’t what anglers wanted," he said.
Mr Linklater, who remains as a member of the RSA Gore and District Angling Club, is keeping the door open for Fish & Game and anglers to reconvene.
"I think it can be repaired. It’s just dialogue. We want Fish & Game to listen to us," he said.
A letter penned from RSA Gore and Districts Angling Club, the Mataura Angling Club and the Wyndhamn Angling Club to The Ensign in Gore said anglers wanted to thank farmers for allowing them river access.
The letter questioned the culture of Fish & Game Southland.
Anglers had to hold a licence to fish but that did not make them part of a group or endorse their opinion.The stand-off over the access was not the "Southland way", the letter said.
Fish & Game Southland manager Mr Moss was contacted for comment, but did not respond by deadline.
Mr Withington was also contacted for comment, but could not be reached.
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