Latest updates


LegaSea newsletter #115 – Get trawling & dredging out of the Gulf

November 23, 2021 A Horizon Research poll published on Friday by the Hauraki Gulf Forum revealed that 84% of those living in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park vicinity want destructive mobile contact fishing methods banned from the Gulf. This includes bottom trawling, scallop dredging and Danish seining. Only 3% wanted them to remain, with 13% with having no […]

The QMS. A rotten system

November 21, 2021 Tarakihi and bluenose are important target species for people fishing on the east coast of New Zealand, between Northland to Southland. Having them abundant and available is important for our social and cultural wellbeing, with the added bonus that they taste great when eaten fresh with family and friends. Under the Quota Management System (QMS) […]

Groups unite to call an end to all of bottom contact fishing in the Hauraki Gulf

November 19, 2021 Media release: 19 November 2021 Conservation groups and recreational fishers have banded together for the first time to call for an end to destructive mobile bottom contact fishing methods that destroy the seabed in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. The move follows the release today of an Horizon Research poll, commissioned by the Hauraki Gulf […]

Make your submission on daily bag limits

November 16, 2021 Fisheries NZ has issued a complex range of options to change daily bag limits for recreational fishers. Submissions are due by this Thursday, 18th November. We’re saying slow down. Have your say here.

LegaSea newsletter #114 – Have your say on daily bag limits

November 15, 2021 Have your say on daily bag limits In June this year the Tairua community and local iwi Ngāti Hei were horrified to witness binfulls of pink maomao being taken from Coromandel waters under the guise of “recreational fishing”. Fisheries officers were powerless to prosecute the people responsible because bag limits and size limits do not […]

Kai Ika newsletter update – Heads Up – Kai Ika filleting re-opens

November 4, 2021 In these crazy times Kai Ika find itself busier than ever. Many Auckland whānau are needing more help than before, evident by the length of the queues waiting for pick up at the marae when kaimoana is available. Thankfully more suppliers are stepping up and we have more food to distribute than ever before.

Biodiversity hot spot on our doorstep

October 27, 2021 The Hauraki Gulf is a biodiversity hot spot. It’s also in trouble, with well-documented declines in fish abundance and unrelenting run-off from urban centres and rural land. Support is growing for more comprehensive protection of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. This includes higher protection for marine biodiversity, by banning destructive bottom contact fishing methods such […]

Minister passes first major test

October 21, 2021 It’s a pass mark for the Minister’s fisheries management decisions for the start of the October fishing year and a hurry-up for Fisheries New Zealand to gather vital data over the next 12 months. That pass is only valid if action is taken to do further work. Fisheries New Zealand need to be monitoring the […]

A mixed outcome from scallop ban

October 15, 2021 It’s great to be alongside Ngāti Hei celebrating the Minister’s recent approval for a 2-year rāhui banning all scallop harvesting around the eastern Coromandel until September 2023. On the flip side, it is ominous for the sustainability of other scallop beds that remain open around the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty. People around Omaha, […]

LegaSea newsletter #113 – Back on the water

October 8, 2021 For those of us still in lockdown after 50 days, Wednesday’s easing of restrictions meant we could finally get back on the water and do some fishing! It’s a welcome respite after such a long time and we sure did take advantage of it. Let’s hope we all can get back to normal soon.