The controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill has been put on ice. In June, Shane Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, announced that the Bill will not be progressed by the current government.
After months of public pressure and more than 33,000 submissions to Parliament’s Select Committee, common sense has prevailed. For now.
This outcome belongs to all of us. Thank you to everyone who took the time to make a submission or email your local MP. Together, we sent a clear message that our fisheries should be managed for the benefit of all New Zealanders, not just a privileged few.
The Bill would have handed sweeping new powers to commercial quota owners, weakened environmental protections, and locked the public out of key fisheries decisions. With the Bill shelved, commercial minimum legal sizes will remain and the public will retain access to onboard camera footage through the Official Information Act.
While this announcement gives us some breathing room. The Bill is not dead. The fight is not over.
A future government could revive the Bill after the 2026 election. If NZ First again holds the Oceans and Fisheries portfolio, there’s every chance the Bill will resurface and proposals to restrict bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf will be ditched.
We have the perfect opportunity to bury the Amendment Bill at the ballot box and change the downward trajectory of our fisheries.
We need change that bans destructive fishing methods, reduces excessive catch limits and controls run-off so we can restore abundance and biodiversity back into our coastal waters. We cannot continue to mask depletion.
Each year, we’re seeing increasing signs that the current fisheries management system is failing our fish and us.
Getting out and catching a feed is not like how it used to be. With petrol and diesel prices continuing to bite the wallet, every trip on the water is becoming more expensive. When a day’s fishing ends with only a couple pan-sized snapper, it’s hard to justify the cost and even harder to believe our fisheries are delivering the abundance they once did.
This year alone, communities across the country have sought to implement at least ten different closures prohibiting harvest of some of our favourite species – all in response to depleted local fish populations.
Closures signal a failure of management.
The decisions made in Wellington will shape the future of our fisheries. This election provides the perfect opportunity to put the pressure on political parties to outline how they will restore abundance and biodiversity for future generations, rather than fast-tracking failure.
Ask your local MP where their party stands. Will they commit to abandoning the current version of the Fisheries Amendment Bill? Will they consider a transition away from bottom trawling in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park?
LegaSea will continue engaging with political parties on where they stand with fisheries policies. We will update you once we know more.
It’s simple – No policy. No vote.
More information
Read LegaSea and New Zealand Sport Fishing Council joint submission here.
Read a summary of our submission here.
View NZSFC’s record of process here.
