Bottom trawling, marine protected areas (MPAs), and coastal plans have been hot topics for the last months of 2023.
While our fisheries experts at the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council were working hard on developing comprehensive submissions in response to the various proposals, our LegaSea team was out there making sure your voice was heard.

Thanks to our dedicated supporters, we had the resources to make an online submission form that thousands of people used to express their views on the proposals. Fighting for a fair go for all New Zealanders requires a team effort.

The collapse of our scallop fishery, declining bait fish stocks, and potentially starving snapper are clear indicators of an ecosystem imbalance, calling out for restoration.

The Hauraki Gulf needs active management, urgently. So we developed detailed submissions regarding the proposed trawl corridors and the 19 new MPAs in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. We made it clear that the proposed options from officials are not good enough. They fail to directly address the root causes of depletion and loss of biodiversity, including land run-off, excess fishing and destruction of the marine environment.

This work is being done on behalf of everyone, not just people living around the Gulf.  If we can remove destructive fishing methods such as bottom trawling, dredging and Danish seining from an area that has been a Marine Park for 23 years, this will set a powerful precedent for the rest of New Zealand.

We also had our say on the Waikato Regional Council Coastal Plan and South Island blue cod. It’s important that public access to our marine spaces is maintained so we can go fishing, diving or just enjoy a day at the beach with our whānau.

As you can see, we don’t muck around at LegaSea. We continue to work with others on issues that matter to us all. That is, the health of our marine environment and the abundant life it supports. Our dedicated LegaSea legends, supporters, and Partners ensure we can continue the good fight for a productive marine environment. Sign up to receive online updates here.