Commercial fishers are rejecting claims a staple "fish and chip" fish is facing extinction.
Environmental Defence Society data shows the eastern tarakihi stock has fallen to just 7.7% of its pre-fishing population, while the western stock is at 29%, and declining rapidly.
Federation of Commercial Fishermen President Doug Saunders-Loder told Mike Hosking they've worked since 2017 to rebuild the fisheries and thought things looked good, so this is a kick in the guts.
He says the industry needs to stay calm and reassess, and believes comments about extinction are melodramatic and unhelpful.
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