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November 7, 2025
Current regulations prohibit commercial fishers from keeping and selling 19 reef species, including red moki and boarfish, from waters surrounding the east and west coasts of the upper North Island. These areas are referred to as Fisheries Management Areas 1 and 9. See the map below for reference.
November 7, 2025
Our concerns lie with the fact that allowing dead marlin to be sold will change commercial fishers’ behaviours. Currently because the regulation prohibits dead marlin to be sold, they aren’t worth anything to the fishers, giving them little incentive for bringing aboard dead marlin. If this regulation is revoked there is a strong incentive for ... Read more.
November 7, 2025
Yes. In May 2013, the government released similar proposals to remove the regulation and allow for commercial fishers to keep and sell dead marlin. After three days, the then Fisheries Minister abandoned the proposal after strong public opposition resulting from LegaSea’s campaign “Hands off our Marlin”.
November 7, 2025
Marlin is not a part of the Quota Management System. All marlin are a solely non-commercial species. The New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and LegaSea support marlin remaining a recreational fishery. Since 1991 there has been a regulation in place that protects marlin from being kept and sold by commercial fishers.
November 6, 2025
In 1993 the regulation to prohibit certain reef fish from being kept and sold by commercial fishers was introduced to reduce the risk of depleting these vulnerable species. These specific reef fish species are considered more vulnerable to depletion as they are often slow-growing and long-lived. Since 1993 Fisheries NZ has done little to determine ... Read more.
November 6, 2025
In October 2025, Fisheries NZ proposed removing regulations to allow commercial fishers to keep and sell vulnerable reef fish species including; giant and long-finned boarfish, red pigfish, butterfly and splendid perch, scarlet and sandager’s wrasse, green and banded wrasse, red moki, goatfish, silver drummer, rock cod, kelpfish, black angelfish, marblefish, notch-headed marblefish, painted moki, and ... Read more.
November 6, 2025
In the 1980s the public and recreational fishers raised concerns about excessive numbers of striped marlin being caught by commercial fishers as non-target catch in the tuna longline fishery. In 1987 the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club alongside the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council advocated for the government to protect striped marlin from the ongoing ... Read more.
November 6, 2025
Commercial fishers are unable to keep and sell dead marlin caught within New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in order to preserve these fish as a non-commercial fishery. This regulation has been in place since 1991 and was negotiated between the New Zealand Big Game Fishing Council (now NZ Sport Fishing Council), commercial fishers and ... Read more.
October 21, 2025
In 2022, the Waikato Regional Council reviewed its Coastal Plan to enhance marine biodiversity within the Council’s coastal water boundaries. The Plan sets out how the Regional Council will manage the marine waters covering the inner Hauraki Gulf, Coromandel down to Waihi, and the west coast from Waiuku to Mokau. Once finalised, it will be ... Read more.
October 21, 2025
In October 2025, the Waikato Regional Council (WRC) agreed to prohibit destructive mobile bottom-contact commercial fishing methods including bottom trawling, Danish seining and dredging across most of the Council’s coastal waters. These methods will only be permitted in select areas (see the grey area pictured below).
