Latest updates


Where have our humble baitfish gone?

September 26, 2024 First published in The Adventurer, July 2024 This little fish went to a foreign fish market, this little fish was ground into cat food, and this little fish was fished all the way to the brink of collapse. A tragic ending is on the horizon for our humble baitfish. Concerning reports from fishers between Northland […]

Kina kina everywhere. Where’s everything else?

August 28, 2024 Originally published in Mahurangi Matters, August 2024. Kina seem to be everywhere, but where’s everything else? Where have the big, old grandaddy snapper gone, and the clusters of crayfish that used to hang around? With crayfish and snapper missing in action kina have been left relatively unchecked in the natural environment, resulting in a population […]

LegaSea newsletter #150 – So much to do in so little time

August 13, 2024 Our fisheries management team has been working hard out! With an unprecedented 20 fishery proposals for the October review round, the team put in the hard mahi to complete submissions on 15 fish stocks. An incredible effort! But, how can Fisheries New Zealand seriously expect the New Zealand public to be able to have meaningful […]

The nasty cost of bulk harvesting

July 29, 2024 First published in The Adventurer, July 2024. Snapper have been likened to zombies, our scallop fishery has collapsed and exploding kina populations are leaving little habitat for other life on coastal reefs There are a myriad of issues contributing to these worrying phenomena and officials are blatantly ignoring most of them. A common factor in […]

A flawed solution for our Gulf

July 29, 2024 Originally published in Mahurangi Matters, July 2024. Kiwis spend a lot of time along our coastlines, whether it’s gathering shellfish to share with family and friends, casting a line out, or enjoying the easy-going beach lifestyle. You may have also noticed that our marine environment isn’t what it used to be. Fish don’t come inshore […]

LegaSea newsletter #149 – Sustainability reviews

July 17, 2024 Look out. Speak up! Fisheries New Zealand has released a raft of reviews for our fish stocks and there’s only a limited time for you to have your say. The 19 reviews include changes to commercial and recreational catch limits for many of our favourite kai moana. Our expert fisheries management team is getting stuck […]

Why are our snapper starving?

June 27, 2024 LegaSea is stunned that Fisheries New Zealand is blaming the climate for snapper having “milky white flesh syndrome”. Their latest report skips over last year’s lab results that showed snapper were in a “state of chronic malnutrition”. That testing found that tissue breakdown in snapper was attributed to a “prolonged period of starvation”. So, why […]

Is coastal trawling lawful or ethical?

May 30, 2024 Originally published in The Adventurer, May 2024. The soothing sounds of squawking seagulls and crashing waves are being drowned out by the roar of bottom trawlers along the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty coastline. This is where trawlers have sadly become a common sight to see from the comfort of your own beach. They often […]