Evidence of Martin Unwin - Environment Canterbury

15use, and are remote from major population centres although stillaccessible by road (c.f. Table 1). The most highly valued back countryfisheries typically attract around 5 000 angler-days per year, incontrast to mainstem and lowland fisheries (some of which attract wellover 10 000 angler-days), and headwater fisheries (which rarely attractmore than 1 000 angler-days).7.2 A total of six back country river fisheries attracted more than 4 000angler-days in 2007/08: the upper Oreti, upper Hurunui, upper Taieri,Ahuriri, Tekapo, and Waikaia (Table 11) 1 . Two of these rivers (theAhuriri and upper Oreti) are subject to WCOs. I have also tabulatedusage estimates for the upper Buller River. Estimated usage of theBuller River by New Zealand resident anglers in 2007/08 (2 640angler-days) was low compared to previous seasons (5 060 and 4 310angler-days in 1994/95 and 2001/02, respectively), but as a backcountry fishery covered by a WCO the upper Buller River provides afurther basis for comparison.7.3 Adjusted 2007/08 usage estimates for the top six rivers listed in Table11 range from 6 790 angler-days for the upper Oreti River to 4 460 forthe Tekapo River. Given the broad standard errors associated withthese estimates, a prudent interpretation is that the upper Oreti is themost heavily fished back country river in New Zealand, followed by theupper Hurunui and then the four remaining rivers (Ahuriri, upper Taieri,Waikaia, and Tekapo. Alternatively, the upper Hurunui could equallywell be grouped with these four rivers, with only the upper Oreti likelyto be clearly ahead of the field. By comparison, usage of the upperBuller River was well below the top six.7.4 As noted in paragraph 4.3, the definition of a back country fishery ispartly subjective. Of the six rivers discussed above, I consider theupper Oreti, upper Hurunui, Ahuriri, and Tekapo to be closest to thenotional prototype of a backcountry fishery. All four rivers flow through1 Usage estimates for the upper reaches of some rivers have been adjusted to allowfor respondents who did not specify where they had fished (see Appendix 1).SJE-388879-28-627-V1:axm