Recreational Fishing

How much fish do recreational marine fishers catch?

June 21, 2020 The latest National Panel Survey to estimate recreational catch found that New Zealanders land around 10,000 tonnes of fish per annum. This survey was conducted nationwide by Fisheries New Zealand between 1 October 2017 and 30 September 2018. The previous Survey was conducted in 2011-12. Excluding aquaculture, the Fisheries New Zealand research reveals that annual […]

Can a restaurant cook a fish caught by a recreational angler?

August 23, 2018 Yes. The Ministry for Primary Industries advises a restaurant can accept fish caught by a recreational fisher, then cook and serve that fish to the successful angler, with conditions. The restaurant can charge for cooking that fish. If the process takes time ie. smoking the fish, the angler must leave his details with the restaurant, […]

How can recreational fishers reduce waste?

August 23, 2018 The simple answer to reducing waste when recreational fishing is to kill fewer small fish or, best of all, avoid catching them in the first place. Killing small fish keeps the stock size low. Recreational anglers need to reduce waste by killing fewer small fish and avoiding gut hooking – this is a priority as […]

How much fish do we kill when we go fishing?

August 23, 2018 There are several reports that estimate the amount of fish killed in the process of fishing. Mortality rates depend on the method used. Bulk harvesting methods such as trawling and Danish seines have the biggest impact. The mortality rate of undersized snapper caught and discarded by trawlers is over 90%. This could equate to as […]

What happened to the 1999 economic study of recreational fishing?

August 23, 2018 In 1999 the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) undertook a large scale survey of mainly boat fishers to apply the contingent valuation method to estimate consumer surplus from marine recreational fishing in New Zealand. A brief summary of the survey results are here.  The SACES study used responses from over 3500 interviews undertaken […]

What do I do if I am fishing around seabirds?

August 23, 2018 New Zealand is a special place for seabirds and fishing is a serious threat to the survival of several species. Seabirds can also be annoying if they get tangled in fishing lines, nets or caught on hooks. Small changes to our fishing can make a big difference to seabird survival. All fishers can learn new […]

Should we stop fishing during the snapper spawning season?

August 23, 2018 A ban on snapper fishing during spawning season is often promoted as a way of allowing more fish to spawn, providing more eggs in the water and more fish in the future. While it seems like the right thing to do there is no agreed view from the experts on whether this strategy would work […]

Why don’t we apply a ‘land-all catch’ policy to recreational fishing?

August 23, 2018 A land-all catch policy is variously promoted as a way of reducing recreational fishing activity and related mortality, assuming that once the bag limit is caught the person will stop fishing. There are good reasons why LegaSea does not support a land-all catch policy being applied to recreational fishing, including the following – People will […]

What about the charter boat reporting scheme?

August 23, 2018 In 2014 the Ministry for Primary Industries answered a range of questions relating to the charter boat reporting scheme. In this document they discuss what species must have their catch reported, why those species were chosen and what areas those reporting requirements apply to. We do not have an updated copy of questions and answers […]

How much fish do recreational fishers take each year?

May 22, 2020 Recreational fishers harvest around 10,000 tonnes of finfish and shellfish nationwide every year. In shared fisheries targeted by commercial and non-commercial fishers, recreational harvest is estimated to be around 19% of all catch. Shared fisheries tend to be inshore species that more accessible to the public.