Latest updates


Crayfish hanging on by a leg

August 26, 2017 There has been a mixed reaction since we launched the Crayfish Crisis campaign in July. Commercial fishers argue there are abundant crayfish between Pakiri and East Cape of the North Island, and we are creating an issue in CRA 2 where none exists. The Ministry for Primary Industries consider the CRA2 stock is well above […]

Kaitiakitanga means guardianship

August 21, 2017 Kaitiakitanga means guardianship or management and traditionally it’s applied to conservation efforts. It’s a matter dear to the hearts of the recreational fishing sector as well. We of all people get to see when there’s abundance and plenty for all, and when there’s a desert, a dearth of life in our oceans. No longer is […]

NZ Sport Fishing Council releases recreational fishing Manifesto

August 8, 2017 A new approach to managing New Zealand’s fisheries is needed The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council has released its Manifesto and calls on New Zealand’s political parties to consider a new approach to setting policy. The Council has consulted with its members over what they want to see in terms of stewardship of New Zealand’s […]

Licensing a smokescreen for real agenda

August 1, 2017 The New Zealand Initiative, a consultancy that is paid to produce reports of a right wing nature, has produced a report that says recreational fishers need to be licensed because of a massive problem in the fishing sector. There is a massive problem in the fishing sector – recreational fishers are not it. The report’s […]

Cameras not fit for purpose

July 25, 2017 Another chapter in the series of failures by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) was uncovered in an MPI report. This report suggested that the cameras being installed to monitor commercial fishing activity are not up to the task. The report stated that the cameras were unable to reliably distinguish species and sizes of fish, […]

Ombudsman reveals more deceit

July 20, 2017 A media storm erupted last year with the release of Glen Simmons’ Catch Reconstruction Report. This report outlined the unprecedented levels of unreported catch to the United Nations by New Zealand Officials and was accompanied by internal Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) reports that revealed knowledge of widespread commercial dumping. MPI’s Director of Fisheries, Dave Turner, […]

Fisheries reports locked away

July 14, 2017 It is a concern for all of us that the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has once again shown they are unwilling or unable to show the public how they are carrying out their statutory duties. This time, in the form of a blanket refusal to share more than 100 reports requested under the Official […]

NIWA net trials on the northeast coast

July 13, 2017 Starting on 15th July a NIWA trawler will be testing a new net designed to reduce both the catch of small fish and environmental impacts. The Kaharoa will be working inshore between Whangaroa, East Northland, and Tairua in the eastern Bay of Plenty. The Kaharoa is 28 metres long with a blue hull and white […]

The Crayfish Crisis

July 11, 2017 Despite overwhelming evidence that the CRA2 fishery off Auckland’s east coast and Bay of Plenty is in critical condition the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy says there’s no problem, and he has no intention of doing anything about the declining number of crayfish until at least April 2018. Recreational fishers wrote to the Minister in […]

Environmental warriors battling for our future

July 5, 2017 Pirates illegally fishing in Pacific waters have been busted and fined almost a million dollars after taking more than a hundred tonnes of southern bluefin tuna. Two Chinese-flagged vessels were involved in this case, which experts suspect is just a drop in the ocean compared to the illicit exploitation occurring on the high seas. Thankfully […]