29 Mar 2009

Group to work to lift blue cod ban

8:59 am on 29 March 2009

A group has been formed to work towards lifting a ban earlier than planned on blue cod fishing in the Marlborough Sounds.

A four-year ban was announced by the previous Labour government last October after concerns at the decline of blue cod stocks in the Marlborough Sounds.

Fisheries Minister Phil Heatley announced the formation on Saturday of a blue cod management group.

Mr Heatley says that if the management group can come up with a plan for managing the blue cod fishery, he will support lifting or relaxing the closure earlier than 2012.