Articles

Communities rally to ban scallop dredging in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park

March 23, 2021 Today the Hauraki Gulf Forum has confirmed its policy to remove all industrial bottom trawling and scallop dredging harvest techniques from the entire Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. This has come after a series of presentations around consequences and community actions of banning recreational dredging by LegaSea, Ngāti Hei, Ngāti Paoa and Revive Our Gulf. Years […]

Community push for improved fisheries management

March 18, 2021 On a cool summer’s morning a crew of 14 from LegaSea were standing on Oneroa Beach, Waiheke Island, watching the sun come up over the crowd gathered to celebrate the start of a rāhui. The rāhui means no harvesting of scallops, mussels, crayfish and pāua within one nautical mile of the Waiheke shoreline for at […]

Do we really have it better than Australia?

March 7, 2021 As Kiwis we like to think we have it over our trans-Tasman neighbours yet in terms of fisheries management the Queenslanders are beating us hands down. The Queensland government has committed to managing their fish stocks at much higher abundance levels compared to New Zealand. If we don’t follow their lead there will be increasing […]

Chester’s support for local conservation efforts

February 25, 2021 Westies are a special bunch. Westie tradies are even more special. For the past 31 years the Fanatical Fishos fishing competition for plumbers has raised funds for Coastguard and recreational fishing. This year LegaSea is pleased to report that we have received $6000 from Grant Chester of Chesters Plumbing and Bathroom Centre New Lynn, Auckland. […]

Voluntary scallop ban working

February 25, 2021 This summer people of the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty have taken bold steps to address concerns about the depleted state of local scallop beds. The community and visitors have largely complied with a voluntary ban on taking scallops from Opito Bay on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula, exceeding expectations over the busy […]

Hawke’s Bay artificial reefs

February 9, 2021 In January 2021, LegaSea Hawke’s Bay and the Napier Port team announced a second artificial reef has been constructed, located off Napier’s coastline at the ‘Gwen B’ shipwreck site. This second artificial reef follows on from the construction of a first larger artificial reef created last year, near Pania Reef with over 8000 cubic metres […]

Recreational fishers rallying support for Waiheke rāhui

January 30, 2021 The declining numbers of scallops, mussels, crayfish and paua has prompted Ngāti Pāoa to declare a rāhui banning all harvest of these species around Waiheke Island for two years and recreational fishers are supporting the initiative.  Representatives of the largest organisations of recreational fishing interests will attend the customary rāhui ceremony at 5.30am on Sunday […]

Public urged to support voluntary scallop ban

January 29, 2021 A voluntary ban has been put in place to stop all take of scallops from Opito Bay on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula. The Opito Bay community is asking the public to respect the ban over the summer of 2020-21. Signs have been installed at local boat ramps and information is available at […]

No diving or dredging for Coromandel scallops

January 26, 2021 The clear, calm waters of Opito Bay hide the stark reality that very few scallops survive on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula. Once prolific scallop beds are so few and far between we now have an untenable situation. LegaSea has received multiple reports of commercial interests prospecting on the western side of Coromandel, […]

Paul Barnes obituary

January 20, 2021 Paul was a successful businessman who operated Paul’s Fishing Kites for 33 years, an inventor, a fisherman, and a conservationist. Paul and Peggy Barnes were the backbone of option4.co.nz. The 4 Principles that underpinned everything option4 stood for put us all on solid ground and made us safe to do the right thing. His advocacy […]