Fisheries Management FAQs
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April 15, 2026
There are only 98 species in the Quota Management System. These are divided into 642 separate fish stocks i.e For snapper, there are six different snapper stocks across the country – SNA 1 (Northland, Hauraki Gulf, Bay of Plenty), SNA 2 (Hawkes Bay, East Cape)…
April 14, 2026
Courts have repeatedly confirmed that fishing can continue, but only in a way that ensures sustainability. These rulings help secure the long-term future of fishing rather than undermine it.
February 19, 2026
No. LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council have submitted many times that the deemed value system is not working. It’s not fair on smaller operators if larger operators, who hold a lot of Annual Catch Entitlement (ACE), will not release it. This encourages dumping, which is not good for the small-scale operator, nor ... Read more.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are supposed to be a deterrent to prevent commercial fishers from exceeding lawful catch limits. If these penalties are reduced, it will encourage ongoing catches beyond sustainable limits, weakening protections for fish stocks. The cost of commercial fishers catching more than they are legally allowed would instead be treated as an acceptable ... Read more.
February 19, 2026
No. The money collected from deemed value penalties goes into the Government’s Consolidated Fund. There is no requirement that deemed value revenue is reinvested into fisheries management expenses such as enforcement, monitoring, stock assessments and fisheries science.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are meant to work like a fine, a financial incentive that encourages fishers to stay within lawful catch limits. The penalty is supposed to be high enough to encourage responsible fishing, but low enough to discourage dumping of unwanted catch overboard.
February 19, 2026
Deemed value penalties are financial penalties commercial fishers are required to pay when they catch more fish than they are legally allowed. Commercial fishers must acquire Annual Catch Entitlements (ACE) to cover the fish they catch. If they catch more fish than they have ACE, they must buy more ACE. If they cannot source enough ... Read more.
June 26, 2025
Twice a year in April and October, Fisheries NZ changes the management for various fish stocks across the country. Before they make any changes Fisheries NZ issues a proposal paper and asks for submissions from interested parties, including the public, fishers, Māori interests and environmental interests. Everyone has to respond by a set deadline. These ... Read more.
June 26, 2025
Fisheries New Zealand undertakes scientific stock assessments throughout the year for various fish stocks. Depending on what this shows, Fisheries NZ prioritises what fish stocks need to be reviewed and proposes various actions the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries may want to take to ensure sustainability. For example, If the assessment shows that abundance is ... Read more.
June 26, 2025
No, it depends on your definition of “sustainable”. Under the Quota Management System the stocks that get the most attention are usually the ones that are important to commercial interests. That means most effort is directed to delivering proposals that increase commercial catch limits, or churning out science that supports the maintenance of existing catch ... Read more.
