Latest updates


Whitehaven relaunches Kōparepare in support of LegaSea

October 19, 2020 On Monday 19 October Whitehaven Wine Company will launch its refreshed Kōparepare wine brand. The company will acknowledge the relaunch with a campaign donating 100% of the revenue from the first 125 cases sold online at koparepare.co.nz to LegaSea. After that the family winery will continue to fund the work of LegaSea by donating $1 […]

LegaSea newsletter #98 – Counting Down and Gearing up

October 1, 2020 We are officially in the election countdown now and it’s interesting to see how COVID-19 is affecting the political parties’ policies. Sadly, fisheries issues have largely been ignored as the big parties fight it out over the best way to recover from the economic and social impact of the pandemic. Given the interesting political landscape […]

Fishing for every Kiwi

September 25, 2020 “Before there were freezers, the fish were left in the ocean until they were needed.” An insightful comment from Dr Davianna Pomaika’i McGregor, director of the University of Hawaii’s Centre for Oral History. She has a deep interest in the indigenous Hawaiian ethos of only taking what you need. Closer to home Maori often express […]

Recreational fishers vote in favour of scallop dredging ban

September 23, 2020 Recreational groups have come out strongly in support of the need to ban fishing techniques that damage the seabed in coastal marine waters. Increasingly, science shows that damage to the seafloor caused by fishing is having an exponential impact on the overall health of our marine ecosystems. At the Annual General Meeting of the New […]

Cameras on boats. Is it just another election promise?

September 9, 2020 The process to get monitoring cameras on board commercial fishing vessels is a debacle according to public awareness group LegaSea. The reality, it’s another promise made weeks before an election that won’t be initiated until after the following election cycle. “Cameras on board fishing vessels have been promised by fisheries Ministers since 2014, and last […]

Fishing in abundance

September 1, 2020 Rescue Fish is aimed at increasing the numbers and size of fish in our coastal waters, and in doing so, restoring biodiversity in the marine ecosystem. It will take a collective effort and behavioural changes by all of us to achieve success. A major change will be learning how to fish in an abundant fishery. […]

NZ Underwater signs MoU

August 30, 2020 The New Zealand Underwater Association (NZUA) has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council. The Association is the latest organisation to commit to working alongside LegaSea and the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council to create more abundant coastal fisheries. These groups have committed to working together to […]

Fishing continues despite illegal trawling

August 29, 2020 Surely not. A trawler caught illegal fishing in a protected area can continue to operate even when the Court has ordered its forfeiture to the Crown. In late July Sealord Group was ordered by the Nelson District Court to forfeit a vessel worth $24 million. The company also forfeited the catch, and its crew were […]

LegaSea newsletter #97 – Rescue Fish – Watch it, sign it, share it

August 28, 2020 It’s been a frustrating time with the return of COVID-19 to the community, especially for people who live in Auckland. No fishing, no sports, no socialising. But it’s a good time to get online. So if you haven’t watched The Price of Fish, watch it. If you haven’t signed the petition, sign it. If you […]

Politicians need to stand up for change

August 1, 2020 After seven years of meetings, planning and reports, officials have been told to start actioning improvements to the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. The Park extends from Pakiri in the north to Waihi in the Bay of Plenty. These waters have been degraded by decades of use, abuse and management paralysis. In a joint submission to […]