July 5, 2021
The long awaited consultation for Snapper 8 (SNA8) is underway and we are busily working through the government’s proposed changes on . SNA8 is a fisheries area situated along the west coast of the North Island from North Cape to Kapiti (see map). The fishery was almost trawled to extinction during the 1970s and 1980s, […]
June 25, 2021
SeaChange announcement; Land all catch regulations; Tarakihi court case decision. It’s been a huge week with three major announcements impacting our fisheries. This week the Revitalising Our Gulf Sea Change strategy was released in response to the 2017 Sea Change Marine Spatial Plan aimed at restoring the health of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.
June 19, 2021
The High Court has ruled that in 2019 Stuart Nash, the then Minister of Fisheries, did not act legally when deciding on the management settings for tarakihi on the whole east coast. Tarakihi and the environment in which they live have been decimated by years of trawling, with the stock collapsing to just 16% of […]
June 19, 2021
A high court decision that protects tarakihi sets a precedent for protecting other fish populations and is a milestone in fisheries management, says marine conservation group LegaSea. “It’s a hugely important judgement that has run under the radar”, said LegaSea spokesperson Sam Woolford. “Firstly, the court affirmed that decisions made by the previous Minister of […]
June 18, 2021
After 5 long years the Kaikōura pāua fishery is set to reopen. It's been a hard wait for one of New Zealand's most enjoyed fisheries and there is plenty of excitement at the prospect of it reopening. Stocks are looking good, but as expected, there will be are plenty of changes being recommended for recreational harvest rules.
June 17, 2021
Limited time to submit on Kaikōura pāua reopening Kaikōura locals have lost access to their favourite fisheries due to natural disasters including earthquakes and unnatural disasters, through preference being given to commercial interests. Now it’s time for us to submit in support of recovering access to the pāua fishery. We have until 5 July to […]
June 1, 2021
To celebrate National Kahawai Day 2021, we ran a competition asking you to share your kahawai-related stories. Here are some beautiful stories below. Respect for kahawai – Andrew Penny “I will admit that it took some time to hold kahawai in the high regard that I do now. Growing up fishing in the Manukau, […]
May 28, 2021
LegaSea is celebrating May 28th as National Kahawai Day, in recognition of the community coming together in the early 2000s to save ‘the people’s fish’. The 4-year Kahawai Legal Challenge was the first time recreational fishers had taken the Minister of Fisheries to court since the Quota Management System was introduced 20 years prior. It […]
May 27, 2021
“But to see the kahawai at its best we have to go to New Zealand. There, huge shoals of these fish range the coast and work away up the inlets and rivers. One of these big bodies of fish on the move is a stirring sight.” – Wal Hardy, The Saltwater Angler (1966). Kahawai is […]
May 20, 2021
A healthy scallop population has provided for the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of mana whenua for centuries and coastal Coromandel communities for decades. There is growing concern by Ngāti Hei and local interests about the depletion of scallops in Opito Bay at the end of the Kūaotunu Peninsula on the eastern side of the […]
