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LegaSea newsletter #154 – Travesty in the Marine Park

November 13, 2024 In the marine world, everything is in constant motion – shifting, ebbing, flowing, breaking down, and rebuilding. It’s never a dull moment out there, which is exactly why we love it so much. Kiwis are incredibly passionate about fishing, boating, and our oceans in general. One of the great joys of living in New Zealand […]

Travesty in the Marine Park

November 13, 2024 WARNING – this content may be highly aggravating. We suggest you take a deep breath before we explain why the Hauraki Gulf Marine Protection Bill will not restore the Hauraki Gulf and instead exclude public access in order to prioritise commercial interests. Since the Sea Change process began in 2013, all parties involved agreed that […]

Speak up for no scallop dredging

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 […]

Christmas came early for quota owners

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 […]

Gear Up for Labour Weekend: Let’s Stay Safe With FishCare!

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 […]

Biased decisions exclude public fishing

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 […]

Conservation is just an excuse to exclude public fishing

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 […]

Coromandel scallop dredging horrifies locals

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 […]

LegaSea newsletter #152 – More trawling off a coast near you

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 […]