November 10, 2024
Be prepared to take action when you hear about Fisheries New Zealand’s latest industry-led decision to drag a dredge across Coromandel scallop beds – ironically to survey how many scallops are alive. These are the same scallop beds that have been indefinitely closed to commercial and public fishing since March 2023. So it’s hard to […]
October 24, 2024
Father Christmas or rather Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, has delivered a generous gift to quota owners in the Snapper 8 fishery on the west coast of the North Island – a 640 tonne increase in commercial catch. Meanwhile recreational fishers have been left with coal in their stockings. The new Snapper […]
October 23, 2024
The sun’s shining brighter, the days are getting longer, and you know what that means—Labour Weekend is knocking at our door! We can almost hear the waves lapping and the fish biting. We’re just as thrilled as you are to get back out there and make some unforgettable memories this summer on the water.But before […]
October 23, 2024
It’s been a whirlwind year so far! We’ve faced some seriously counterproductive decisions from Fisheries NZ, watched the government push for fast-tracking sand and seabed mining, and to top it off, dealt with a flood of mushy-fleshed and zombie fish — keeping things more than interesting. As the days grow warmer and longer, and Labour […]
October 18, 2024
LegaSea is appalled that Government officials have decided that some commercial fishers will have exclusive access to fish in the proposed High Protected Areas of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. If they press ahead this means commercial and Māori customary fishers will be permitted to fish within Kawau Bay and the Noises while your boat […]
October 14, 2024
Tripling the area where public fishing is excluded within the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, while permitting Māori customary and commercial fishing is a gross insult to everyone who has worked hard to conserve fish over the past few decades, according to public fishing interests’ group LegaSea. “The last-minute change to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection […]
October 11, 2024
Coromandel locals are horrified that Fisheries New Zealand is currently dragging a destructive industrial dredge through the local scallop fishery that has been closed due to depletion since March 2023. “There has been overwhelming community support for the closure of the local Coromandel fishery because scallop numbers were the lowest we’d ever seen. After all […]
October 1, 2024
Twice a year, New Zealand’s “Sustainability Rounds” provide a critical opportunity to adjust catch limits, assess fisheries management, and ensure the long-term health of our marine ecosystems. However, this September, the rounds have taken a troubling turn. Rather than prioritising sustainability, recent decisions by the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones have sparked concerns […]
October 1, 2024
People with coastal properties can expect to see more trawlers operating offshore this summer. That’s because Shane Jones, the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, has just increased the catch limits for more than 12 different fish stocks between Northland and Foveaux Strait. “Excessive increases to the total allowable commercial catch for snapper, kingfish, Jack mackerel, […]
October 1, 2024
An increase in the commercial catch limit for west coast snapper could put Māui dolphin, seabirds and other fish species at risk, for very little gain. “The 640 tonne increase to the total allowable commercial catch comes with an unwanted side effect of increased trawling effort. For years we’ve been advocating for more longlining and […]
