Photos today of anglers access tracks blocked off along the lower Tongariro River.
TRM was not going to mention this DOC fb story at all, it is too painful, until I read Didymo Dave’s story about being sacked from the Te Whaiau trap duties at Lake O due to his criticism of the Taupo Carp Farm fiasco. Dave has done so much for the Taupo/Turangi trout fishery that we would be remiss (and SWMBO would not sleep) if we did not give him our complete support.
The anglers reaction and sadness to his sacking is indicated below – taken from his Facebook.
In the last Target Taupo dated October 2015 #67 (P 12) is an interesting article headed:
FACE[BOOK] TIME WITH TAUPO TROUT FISHERY
The latest e-version of Target Taupo is included on TRM Links, or go to:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/tongariro-taupo/target-taupo-67.pdf
TRM joined the social media fb a few years ago to keep fishos updated with any issues to compliment the Daily Reports. I have my own personal fb too. Needless to say, it is a great way of communicating… Our best Facebook subjects regularly generate over 1000 hits and heaps of instant feedback on controversial stuff. On any day I often post several messages in addition to the more comprehensive Daily Reports. We are the first to admit we struggle with all the new web based stuff and slow to appreciate the advantages and adopt ‘social media’ but we are in capable hands – Christina McIntyre (redDog) keeps us up to date.
So we were naturally interested in DOC’s fb progress reported in Target Taupo… DOC (Department of Conservation manage the Taupo fishery) advise – quote: “Now that our Facebook page has been up and running for a year or two we are starting to get quite an audience, with more than 1500 followers.” etc. and go on to say it is a place for light, easy-to-read messages and information about the jobs we do, and information that is immediately interesting to anglers – such as track closures – plus analysis to indicate how popular the fb is compared to videos, etc.
Meanwhile TRM were recently asked for more info on Tongariro fishing access tracks – see images – which have been closed, including the vehicle access into the Waiotaka River and many of the access tracks in the lower river on the TLB and TRB have been blocked off.
(This is not a complaint – all anglers feedback has been positive on stopping vehicles to access the lower river banks which have too often been used as a tip, particularly by so-called ‘Freedom Campers’.)
So one of our inmates thought the DOC fb would be the ideal place to check? Yeah right.
He reports that so far in 2016 – in four months DOC fb has two entries, their last entry was dated 25 January and prior to that was 12 January. OK? Check it out…
He challenged TRM to post that as an indication of their concern and commitment… What can we say? In the same issue their manager – Kim Alexander-Turia – advises how their smaller team of eight staff are focusing on innovation using all-weather rugged tablets to record angler surveys etc… With eight staff employed one would imagine they could do better than two entries for 2016? So – What’s up DOC?
TRM would prefer to post more positive stuff but sometimes we have to be up front honest and responsible to our readers too. Sadly, Tongariro anglers are constantly critical of Taupo fishery management, usually with good reason. In a recent post on TRM fb a well known fishing guide suggested a reason for falling fishing licence sales by commenting:
“DOC … that’s what went wrong. Word is they are about to give away management of the Taupo fishery totally … it may even be a done deal.”
Interesting…. We have been advised the Fishery Manager Kim Alexander-Turia has now been transferred to Tuwharetoa. One would imagine that anglers would have been kept up-to-date of management changes by regular updates on DOC’s fb too? It will be interesting to see if the traffic to DOC’s fb suddenly increases after this…
To see what Dave did at the fish trap, view the video:
Below is Didymo Dave’s facebook with some of the responses:
WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT…………A song with that title was a big hit for rock band TWISTED SISTER but it’s also become the motto of the Te Awa o Waitahanui team. Today I had 4 young ones out on the river and we had a look at the situation in the photo. I asked them why the main current was flowing on the inside of the bend? Then with waders on we went into the middle of the river and discussed why we could stand there, right in the middle in ankle deep water? Answer to both questions = Willows silting the river up! So in we went and continued the work we had been doing with others. Some of the branches we cut were so big we couldn’t get them up the bank and so floated them down to the beach on the left of the picture and dragged them out. A great mornings work with a great group of young ones. A couple of weeks back I was with a group of 19 people looking at the river. We were discussing a problem when someone asked what we could do about it and an 8 year old boy looked up and said “Give it the Twisted Sister treatment”. And that’s what introduced species like willows, wild cherry, rats, stoats and carp farm ideas get. Cause WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE IT!!!
Ross Baker DOC should be paying you for doing their job cleaning up the rivers. Where are they? They must have a suitable grant to reward you. Could someone in DOC please pay Dave…
Cheryl Jory You and your team are genius
Cheryl Jory YES COULD SOMEONE IN DOC PAY DAVE
Susan Gordon YES DOC Please PAY Dave..
Thanks for your concern but I can’t see DOC paying me. I have been one of the team that operated the fish trap at Te Whaiau for the last few years. Found out today that the guy who contracts the operation to DOC has been granted the contract this year on the condition that I’m not involved. I got the boot as a fish trap operator ha ha! Apparently my hostile campaign to stop the carp farm was not appreciated by DOC senior management.
Shirley Fraser That stinks!!!!
Andrew Baxter Are you of the HINE fish trap as well
Didymo Dave Glenn has submitted a proposal for the Hinemaiaia fish trap. Not heard back yet but that is between him and Trustpower Andrew, nothing to do with DOC.
Andrew Baxter That’s good news as we were looking forward to seeing you there in AUGUST.
Tony Entwistle Yet another example of why DoC can’t be trusted to be objective … and they wonder why so many people don’t like them. Their loss Dave.
Shirley Fraser You shouldn’t be blacklisted by a Government Department for speaking your mind…surely that is against our NZ’s Human Rights Freedom of Speech..what if everyone becomes too scared to talk or raise issues against Government run organizations…. democracy disappears and corruption seeps in.
Didymo Dave Exactly Shirley. They can and did gag DOC employees through the code of conduct but they can’t shut me up. I would have thought having Didymo Dave under control tucked away in the wop wops running a fish trap was better for them than having him spend June n July on the riverbanks as a free agent. The fishery manager just let she Tiger out of the cage……..
Didymo Dave Oops, just let the Tiger out……..
Andrew Baxter Are you of the HINE fish trap as well
Didymo Dave Glenn has submitted a proposal for the Hinemaiaia fish trap. Not heard back yet but that is between him and Trustpower Andrew, nothing to do with DOC.
Marion Hall Maybe DOC and Tuwharetoa could jointly do something to help Dave.