November 13, 2024
In the marine world, everything is in constant motion – shifting, ebbing, flowing, breaking down, and rebuilding. It’s never a dull moment out there, which is exactly why we love it so much. Kiwis are incredibly passionate about fishing, boating, and our oceans in general. One of the great joys of living in New Zealand […]
November 13, 2024
WARNING – this content may be highly aggravating. We suggest you take a deep breath before we explain why the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill will not restore the Hauraki Gulf and instead exclude public access in order to prioritise commercial interests. Since the Sea Change process began in 2013, all parties involved agreed that […]
October 23, 2024
The sun’s shining brighter, the days are getting longer, and you know what that means—Labour Weekend is knocking at our door! We can almost hear the waves lapping and the fish biting. We’re just as thrilled as you are to get back out there and make some unforgettable memories this summer on the water.But before […]
October 23, 2024
It’s been a whirlwind year so far! We’ve faced some seriously counterproductive decisions from Fisheries NZ, watched the government push for fast-tracking sand and seabed mining, and to top it off, dealt with a flood of mushy-fleshed and zombie fish — keeping things more than interesting. As the days grow warmer and longer, and Labour […]
October 14, 2024
Tripling the area where public fishing is excluded within the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, while permitting Māori customary and commercial fishing is a gross insult to everyone who has worked hard to conserve fish over the past few decades, according to public fishing interests’ group LegaSea. “The last-minute change to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection […]
October 11, 2024
Coromandel locals are horrified that Fisheries New Zealand is currently dragging a destructive industrial dredge through the local scallop fishery that has been closed due to depletion since March 2023. “There has been overwhelming community support for the closure of the local Coromandel fishery because scallop numbers were the lowest we’d ever seen. After all […]
October 1, 2024
Twice a year, New Zealand’s “Sustainability Rounds” provide a critical opportunity to adjust catch limits, assess fisheries management, and ensure the long-term health of our marine ecosystems. However, this September, the rounds have taken a troubling turn. Rather than prioritising sustainability, recent decisions by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones have sparked concerns […]
October 1, 2024
People with coastal properties can expect to see more trawlers operating offshore this summer. That’s because Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, has just increased the catch limits for more than 12 different fish stocks between Northland and Foveaux Strait. “Excessive increases to the total allowable commercial catch for snapper, kingfish, Jack mackerel, […]
October 1, 2024
An increase in the commercial catch limit for west coast snapper could put Māui dolphin, seabirds and other fish species at risk, for very little gain. “The 640 tonne increase to the total allowable commercial catch comes with an unwanted side effect of increased trawling effort. For years we’ve been advocating for more longlining and […]
September 26, 2024
Originally published in the Kaikōura Star, September 2024. Controversial comments suggesting there is an unknown amount of pāua harvest by recreational fishers in Kaikōura can be easily refuted by three years of scientific reports. Fisheries New Zealand has contracted recreational harvest surveys every year since the Kaikōura pāua fishery opened to harvest after the 2016 […]
