Latest updates


Let the cameras roll

February 7, 2022 After nine years of resistance the government is on track to finally get cameras on-board commercial vessels to monitor fishing activity. Installations are expected to start at the end of 2022 and finish in 2024. We’re encouraging the Minister to initiate the camera rollout as soon as possible. We know from previous compliance reports and […]

No more dumping in Hawke’s Bay

January 25, 2022 LegaSea Hawke’s Bay has said an outright no to the proposal by their Regional Council to dump more than 50,000 cubic metres of dredge material onto the foreshore south of Napier. Instead, LegaSea Hawke’s Bay is urging the Council to dispose of the Clive River dredgings on land. And they are not alone in advocating […]

LegaSea newsletter #116 – The Year That Was 2021

January 21, 2022 We hope you all had a great break full of good times, good weather and successful fishing (if that’s your thing!). 2022 is well underway now and we’re looking forward to a exciting year. There will be plenty going on with our oceans and fisheries and we will be keeping you up to date with the […]

Bag limit changes – keep it simple

December 20, 2021 Action is finally being taken to stop the sale of vulnerable marine fish not protected by maximum daily bag limits. Currently no bag limits apply to pink and blue maomao, grandaddy hāpuku, pigfish and wrasses. We’ve sent the Minister our recommendations for a 3-daily bag limit for each of those species and for the regulations […]

Opito Bay scallop restoration programme – one year on

December 17, 2021 Today we’re celebrating one year since the successful launch of the Coromandel scallop restoration programme. On 17 December 2020 representatives from the Coromandel community, iwi and recreational fishing organisations all stood together at Opito Bay to call for protection of our scallop beds from the destructive practice of scallop dredging. The official launch was marked […]

No more dumping in Hawke’s Bay

December 14, 2021 LegaSea Hawke’s Bay has said an outright no to the proposal by their Regional Council to dump more than 50,000 cubic metres of dredge material onto the foreshore south of Napier. Instead, LegaSea Hawke’s Bay is urging the Council to dispose of the Clive River dredgings on land. And they are not alone in advocating […]

No once over lightly for bag limits

December 14, 2021 A gaping hole in the fishing regulations is about to be plugged to stop the exploitation of vulnerable reef fish and to address community concerns. Conflict arose in Tairua, Coromandel, earlier this year when hundreds of pink maomao were being landed and people realised no bag limits applied. MPI were powerless to respond because the […]

Media release – Widespread support for Waiheke rāhui

December 2, 2021 Media release 1 December 2021 Widespread support for Waiheke rāhui The Minister’s approval for a two-year temporary closure to fishing around Waiheke Island has drawn praise from divergent groups. The declining numbers of scallops, mussels, crayfish and pāua has prompted Ngāti Pāoa to declare a rāhui banning all harvest of these species around Waiheke Island […]

No more destructive fishing in inshore waters

November 24, 2021 The most effective way to improve the long term productivity of our marine environment is to remove destructive fishing techniques such as bottom trawling, scallop dredging, Danish and purse seining from inshore waters. We don’t have to look far to see the benefits of removing bulk harvesting seining and bottom contact fishing methods from inshore […]

Over inflated catch limits

November 23, 2021 The Minister’s recent decision to cut the Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) for gurnard around the top half of the North Island by 65% is recognition that this was one of the species that was over allocated when TACCs were set in 1986. These allocations are no longer appropriate. Many of those historic TACCs were […]