June 26, 2015
There are two outcomes from the recent crayfish management review process; both are bad news for non-commercial interests. Firstly, the Minister followed industry advice to maintain or increase commercial catch limits, and secondly, that under the current regime we are unlikely to see a rebuild of crayfish numbers along our coastline any time soon. Amongst […]
May 28, 2015
Recreational fishers are celebrating the sixth anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that changed the fisheries management landscape in New Zealand. In a landmark decision in 2009, the Supreme Court confirmed the Minister for Primary Industries, Nathan Guy, can apply discretion and government policy when allocating the available fisheries resource between sectors. Fresh management decisions […]
May 25, 2015
One of the most encouraging aspects of the recent Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show was the willingness of people to talk with our team and share their fishing experiences with us. If you were one of those people that visited our stand between the 14th and 17th May thanks for the stories, your support and […]
April 28, 2015
For the first time in four years management of Marlborough Sounds Blue cod is being reviewed and LegaSea is encouraging recreational fishers to have their say on the future of this most prized fishery. A multi-stakeholder group, the Blue Cod Management Group, is seeking people’s views now before they develop potential management options to be […]
April 26, 2015
Given the state of tuna stocks, it is incredible that regional authorities have allowed more than 6,000 industrial fishing vessels to target tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean. Fishing boats have flooded into this area over the last 20 years as stocks have declined in other oceans. At the same time, New Zealand’s […]
March 28, 2015
There are ongoing issues related to the management of our crayfish stocks that need to be addressed this year. Crayfish are a prized shellfish, a taonga, and we need to be sure that the public’s long-term interests are protected and we have reasonable access to our crayfish. In our recent submission responding to the latest […]
March 12, 2015
Fish dumping and unnecessary wastage in our fisheries has to stop, and many of you have the handiest tool to address it – your cellphone camera. Several trawlermen have revealed that dumping happens on every trawl. One skipper estimates 10-15 bins of undersized fish were thrown back dead after every trawl. The crew is required […]
March 12, 2015
Over 4.5 million snapper, 1.1 million kahawai, and 680,000 blue cod were caught and kept by recreational fishers during 2011-12. These are the three most popular marine species, by number, in New Zealand. Around 5.4 % of all finfish was taken from charter vessels. These estimates and harvest figures for other popular species have been detailed […]
March 5, 2015
It seems that yellowfin tuna are not gone forever from New Zealand waters. Dare we hope that this season is just the start of their return, or is this just a painful reminder of the superb fishery that has been lost? The Bay of Plenty was once our yellowfin ‘tuna capital’ over summer. For most […]
March 1, 2015
Crayfish might not be on everyone’s catch list but they are a treasured meal when shared with family and friends. Not surprisingly they are also a valuable commercial species so when it comes to management there is always high interest in any catch increases. Management of five crayfish stocks is under review. These stocks extend […]
