Latest updates


QMS series #3 – Entrenching bottom trawling

October 15, 2026 The Quota Management System (QMS) turns 40 this year. Join us as we break down some of the key failures of the QMS and why we think it’s time it was replaced with something more innovative. Bottom trawling is so destructive that many countries have banned or phased it out. Yet in clean, green New ... Read more.

2026 Election policy scorecard

October 14, 2026 Thanks to Minister Shane Jones and YOU, our oceans are firmly on the political agenda this year. Last election only one party had a dedicated fisheries policy. That has changed in 2026. In August, LegaSea sent all the major parties a list of policy statements asking them where they stand in terms of restoring abundance ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #200 – The sun is setting on bottom trawling

October 14, 2026 Kiwi’s care deeply about fish and the future of our marine environment. This was evident when thousands of recreational fishers stood together at the One Ocean Protest in November 2025. Then 33,000 people spoke up and opposed the controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill.

QMS series #2 – Artisanal fishers versus slipper skippers

October 9, 2026 The Quota Management System (QMS) turns 40 this year. Join us as we break down some of the key failures of the QMS and why we think it’s time it was replaced with something more innovative. When did you last buy fresh fish straight off the boat, from the person who caught it? In a ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #199 – The fisheries debate is heating up

October 9, 2026 The 7 November election is fast approaching, and the fisheries debate is heating up. LegaSea aims to be the voice of reason, calling out the nonsense and holding politicians and officials to account. In case you missed our newsletter last week, we’re continuing our series celebrating 40 years of the dysfunctional Quota Management System (QMS). ... Read more.

Fisheries is an election issue

October 7, 2026 Article originally published in Fishing in Godzone, October 2026 For the first time, fisheries is an election issue, and it’s easy to see why. The marine environment and fishing matter to millions of New Zealanders and many of us are worried about what we’re seeing out on the water, or no longer seeing. Marlborough’s blue ... Read more.

QMS series #1 – What’s up with the Quota Management System?

October 1, 2026 The Quota Management System (QMS) turns 40 this year. Join us as we break down some of the key failures of the QMS and why we think it’s time it was replaced with something more innovative. The Quota Management System (QMS) was introduced in 1986 to address fish depletion and overcapacity in the commercial fishing ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #198 – Happy Birthday to the QMS

October 1, 2026 Dear Quota Management System, Happy 40th birthday from all of us here at LegaSea. 🎂 🎈We’re sorry to say you have not aged well. To celebrate this milestone, we’re beginning a series all about you. Well, about your many failures. Bear with us over the next few weeks as we countdown the reasons why we think ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #197 – The Minister’s decision doesn’t cut it

September 27, 2026 I Fish. I Care. I Vote. Fish, for the first time, is an election issue and LegaSea wants you to make an informed choice when casting your vote on November 7th. This year we have collated political party’s responses to questions that are important to us and our kids. We’ve put them in a simple table so ... Read more.

The Minister’s decision doesn’t cut it

September 24, 2026 LegaSea is stunned that Shane Jones has not closed the east coast to tarakihi fishing despite the stock collapse. Instead, the Minister has cut east coast commercial catch limits by just 20 percent, and west coast limits by 55 percent. And halved the amateur daily bag limit nationwide.  The cuts to commercial catch limits are ... Read more.