June 23, 2025
In 1901, the New Zealand Times published a warning about trawling in the Hauraki Gulf. It read: “Trawling is working fearful havoc on the feeding beds and spawning grounds on which we depend for our future supply…” That was 124 years ago. Trawling is the industrial dragging of large, weighted nets across the seafloor to ... Read more.
June 23, 2025
In the USA June 18 is National Go Fishing Day. We don’t have an equivalent celebration of recreational fishing in New Zealand, but it’s worth considering given that for centuries fishing has contributed to our survival, and our social, economic and cultural wellbeings. Kiwis spend a lot of money and time fishing, and the most ... Read more.
June 19, 2025
“Trawling and dredging in the Hauraki Gulf is fine because it’s always been mud.” – Some guy on Facebook. It’s a comment we’ve heard often as a method of deflection from those who – you guessed it – trawl. The Hauraki Gulf was once a thriving, living ecosystem, home to vast beds of green-lipped mussels ... Read more.
June 14, 2025
The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and LegaSea have welcomed the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries’ decision to reject proposals for trawl corridors in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, however, both organisations insist the next step must be bold and decisive: a complete ban on all mobile bottom contact fishing methods, including bottom trawling, Danish ... Read more.
May 29, 2025
Kahawai, also known as the people’s fish, is dear to most Kiwi’s hearts. It’s the fish we caught first when we were kids off the rocks, the wharf, the beach or the dinghy with the dodgy outboard. So it’s apt that it has its own special day. National Kahawai Day, 28th May. Yes, we may ... Read more.
May 29, 2025
There’s a good reason why May 28th is National Kahawai Day. It’s the day in 2009 when the Supreme Court delivered its landmark decision confirming the public’s interests in having healthy fisheries. Non-commercial fishers have a right to quality fishing. The Court confirmed the Minister has a statutory (legal) obligation to set aside reasonable allowances ... Read more.
May 15, 2025
Published in Mahurangi Matters, May 2025. By Sam Woolford, LegaSea Project Lead. It’s been a roaring start to 2025 – proposals to allow commercial fishing in Highly Protected Areas in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, and reviews of our precious crayfish have kept us busy. The cherry on top is Shane Jones’ proposed changes to ... Read more.
May 8, 2025
With the Fisheries Reform Scam submissions now in, we’ve finally had a bit of breathing room to shift focus toward some more positive things (well – aside from the latest NZSFC Pod and Reel episode, which is a heavy but important listen about the fairly recent tragedy involving three fishers from the Gisborne Tatapouri Club). ... Read more.
April 16, 2025
Thank you! More than 25,000 of you took the time to write a submission opposing the Fisheries Act amendments. That’s massive. And it’s proof that every day New Zealanders care deeply about the health of our ocean and the future of our fisheries. Thank you for lending your voice, for standing up, and for making ... Read more.
April 13, 2025
Published in Mahurangi Matters, April 2025. By Sam Woolford, LegaSea Project Lead. Another summer has come to a close, and I hope you made the most of it, spending time on the water and creating memories with loved ones. Summer is also a time to reflect on how much our coastal marine environment has changed ... Read more.
