At present there is no recorded material available to indicate the amount, location or number of recreational eel fishers. Recreational fishers are the second of the stakeholder groups with an interest in the eel fishery. Currently recreational eel fishing is assumed to occur at very low levels, but with the increasing ethnic diversity in New Zealand and the access to eels, this situation has the potential to change.
Recreational fishers use a variety of methods to capture eels.
Eels are frequently caught as a bycatch of trout and coarse fish anglers. Coarse fish anglers make a point of releasing eels alive. Recreational fishing has to be catered for in any management regime. The committee recognises recreational fishers as legitimate users of the resource who share some rights as the other resource users, however they must also share the responsibility for the conservation and sustainability of the resource. This section of the plan addresses the issues and concerns associated with the recreational eel fishery and how recreational interests will be incorporated into its management.