Latest updates


Look out Coromandel, trawlers are heading your way…

April 1, 2024 The pristine waters of the Coromandel could become the last resort for bottom trawling and seining if the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill gets through Parliament. The Environment Select Committee is currently reviewing the Protection Bill, after holding hearings in Auckland in early March. Successive submitters urged the Committee to consider the wider impacts of ... Read more.

The demise of East Coast crayfish

March 20, 2024 A part of being a good Kiwi is sticking up for our neighbours when something’s not right. Now is the time to support our whānau living around the North Island’s east coast, as their crayfish is under threat. We need to work together as crayfish are a national taonga, a treasure. Local communities, Māori, and ... Read more.

The consequences of collapsing shellfish populations

March 14, 2024 Collecting kai moana is a Kiwi summer tradition, wading in knee-deep water, collecting buckets of pipi, cockles, or whatever else your auntie fancies. It’s an ancient practice, and a way of life for some. Running out of hands to collect used to be the norm. Instead, we are faced with emergency closures and rāhui, temporary ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #143 – Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing

March 13, 2024 It’s been 24 years since the establishment of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and 9 years since the Sea Change programme was initiated to restore the Park. In that time tens of thousands of hours from volunteers, contractors and employees of a myriad of organisations have been invested into developing a pathway to restored abundance ... Read more.

Baitfish matter too!

March 10, 2024 Marine ecosystems are delicate. When something is out of balance it impacts a variety of species. It can be likened to a domino effect. It’s about who eats who. Baitfish including Blue and Jack mackerels are a perfect example. It’s incredible that such a small fish can influence the way an ecosystem functions. Yet it’s ... Read more.

A thriving fishery benefits local economies

February 9, 2024 Our oceans serve a much greater purpose than just being a source of kai moana. The value of spending time with whanau fishing off your local wharf or on Grandad’s dinghy is priceless. Exchanging stories at the end of a long day is what makes lasting memories. What might go unnoticed is the contribution such ... Read more.

The stench of a rotting quota system

February 2, 2024 New Zealand’s fisheries management system is so corrupted some commercial fishers are earning less than $4 per kilo for whole fish retailing at $60 for skinned and boned fillets. Our Quota Management System is so rotten that small-scale fishers doing the right thing in New Zealand are becoming an endangered species. Reform of the system ... Read more.

LegaSea newsletter #142: Back into it

February 1, 2024 January is always a crazily busy time for the Fisheries Management crew at LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. Twice a year, in April and October, our team dives into fish stock reviews. The April round kicks off in December, with submission deadlines looming in early February so the Minister can make decisions ... Read more.