FAQs

What happened to the 1999 economic study of recreational fishing?

August 23, 2018 In 1999 the South Australian Centre for Economic Studies (SACES) undertook a large scale survey of mainly boat fishers to apply the contingent valuation method to estimate consumer surplus from marine recreational fishing in New Zealand. A brief summary of the survey results are here.  The SACES study used responses from over 3500 interviews undertaken […]

What do I do if I am fishing around seabirds?

August 23, 2018 New Zealand is a special place for seabirds and fishing is a serious threat to the survival of several species. Seabirds can also be annoying if they get tangled in fishing lines, nets or caught on hooks. Small changes to our fishing can make a big difference to seabird survival. All fishers can learn new […]

What are the different commercial fishing methods?

August 23, 2018 A range of methods are used by commercial fishers to harvest seafood. These methods include trawling, purse seining, netting, potting, trapping and longlining. This graphic shows the various methods common in New Zealand and how they are deployed.

Should we stop fishing during the snapper spawning season?

August 23, 2018 A ban on snapper fishing during spawning season is often promoted as a way of allowing more fish to spawn, providing more eggs in the water and more fish in the future. While it seems like the right thing to do there is no agreed view from the experts on whether this strategy would work […]

Is commercial exploitation and overfishing the reasons why the Snapper 1 fishery needs rebuilding?

August 23, 2018 The recent stock assessment suggests that the Snapper 1 stock has doubled from its low point of the 1990s, so it can be argued that it has rebuilt. That is the problem with language like this – what does rebuilt mean? It suggests a fully rebuilt stock would be back at an unfished biomass. The […]

What is LegaSea’s stance on marine reserves?

August 23, 2018 LegaSea comments LegaSea supports marine reserves where they deliver tangible benefits to the marine resources. Where marine reserves are proposed as a conservation measure for fisheries management we have found, through experience and research, that they do not always deliver the intended benefits.  Contrary to current legislation and often in response to inadequate fisheries management, […]

What is the Fisheries Management Area 1 policy?

August 23, 2018 The Fisheries Management Area 1 policy is a document developed by the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and it applies to the area between North Cape and the eastern Bay of Plenty. LegaSea is promoting this policy as a way of providing future generations the fishing opportunities and marine resources we so gratefully inherited. Historic […]

What is the Gurnard 2 policy?

August 23, 2018 The Gurnard 2 policy is a document developed by the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and it applies to the area between East Cape and Wellington. LegaSea is promoting this policy as a way of providing future generations the fishing opportunities and marine resources we so gratefully inherited. Gurnard used to be a staple recreational […]

Are there any catch limits for pilchard & mackerel?

August 23, 2018 Has the government leased out the area off upper North Island to enable commercial fishers to take sardines and mackerel with no limits? LegaSea comments No. Sardine-Pilchard The sardine we have in New Zealand is commonly called Pilchard.  They were bought into the Quota System about 10 years ago.  The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council […]

Why not apply a ‘land-all catch’ policy to commercial fishing?

August 23, 2018 LegaSea believes the ‘land-all catch’ policy proposed by Fisheries New Zealand fails to achieve its primary purpose – that landed commercial catch will equate to what is actually caught at sea. This is a misdirected attempt at curbing the damage inflicted by inshore trawlers. Our latest submission on a land-all catch policy was made in […]