Published in Mahurangi Matters, February 2025

A couple of hours, snorkel, mask and a diving buddy used to be all you needed to bring home a couple of crays you promised to share with family and friends. Now, we’re left with broken promises and empty hands.

Crayfish populations in the Hauraki Gulf are so depleted that leading ecologists have described them as functionally extinct because there aren’t enough to fulfill their role in the natural ecosystem.

Instead of addressing public concerns about depletion, Fisheries New Zealand has proposed an increase to commercial catch limits for crayfish in the area between Te Arai Point down to East Cape (CRA2), bowing to industry pressure.

Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, is due to make a decision before the end of March.

LegaSea, the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and concerned locals urged the Minister to reject the proposed increase in the interests of conservation. We need to leave more crayfish in the water to increase abundance. We can’t catch our way out of depletion.

Fisheries NZ also proposed closing the inner Hauraki Gulf to crayfish harvest. But it’s too late to expect a partial closure to restore cray populations because only around 2% of commercial catch is taken from the proposed closure area.

Decades of reliance on unvalidated data and successive Ministers decisions have led to the collapse of crayfish in the Gulf. The large catch reductions made in 2018 have not restored crayfish populations in northern areas.

Independent studies have questioned the data used to justify the proposed crayfish catch limit increases. A University of Auckland study suggests that officials have severely overestimated the increase in crayfish populations in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. This again highlights the need for more conservative catch limits, not greater catches.

Overfishing and poor management has impacted the wider ecosystem.

Without crayfish, kina populations have exploded, overgrazing on kelp forests, and leaving barren, unproductive habitats that support little marine life.

Our January submission to the Minister advocated for the large CRA2 management area to be split into smaller areas, so targeted controls can be applied to rebuild crayfish numbers and restore balance back to the marine ecosystem.

An effective way to restore crayfish populations is to significantly reduce catch limits or potentially close the fishery until reliable data confirms there is enough crayfish to sustain harvesting pressures.

While we may reminisce about the delicacy of crayfish or the thrill of spotting these critters in the ocean, the alternative of favouring the maximum yield over healthy populations of crayfish is much worse. The Minister must make a conservative decision this year if we want future generations to enjoy crayfish like we used to.

Submissions have now closed, but our campaign continues. To support LegaSea’s mission for more abundant fish populations and a thriving marine environment you can subscribe to our newsletters.

By subscribing we will also keep you updated on the Minister’s decision. Let’s hope Jones’ crayfish decision is made in the best interest of the environment rather than to appease quota holders.