We hope you’re feeling recharged after the summer break because we’ll need every ounce of energy to tackle what may be the most shocking example of regulatory capture by the commercial fishing industry yet.

Right now, we’re staring down the grim reality of a proposed commercial catch increase in CRA 2 (Te Arai Point down to East Cape) – an area already on its knees from relentless overfishing. If you were lucky enough to snag a crayfish around the Coromandel or Great Barrier Island this summer, hold on tight to those memories because you may never get the chance again. This eerie echo of the scallop fishery collapse – where greed and inflated commercial catch limits spelled the end – should send chills down every fisher’s spine. Will we stand by and watch kōura numbers dwindle until they’re gone, too?