Articles

Legends at the Auckland Boat Show

May 25, 2015 One of the most encouraging aspects of the recent Hutchwilco New Zealand Boat Show was the willingness of people to talk with our team and share their fishing experiences with us. If you were one of those people that visited our stand between the 14th and 17th May thanks for the stories, your support and […]

Unprecedented agreement in Marlborough fishery

April 28, 2015 For the first time in four years management of Marlborough Sounds Blue cod is being reviewed and LegaSea is encouraging recreational fishers to have their say on the future of this most prized fishery. A multi-stakeholder group, the Blue Cod Management Group, is seeking people’s views now before they develop potential management options to be […]

Increasing effort despite collapsing fishery

April 26, 2015 Given the state of tuna stocks, it is incredible that regional authorities have allowed more than 6,000 industrial fishing vessels to target tuna in the western and central Pacific Ocean. Fishing boats have flooded into this area over the last 20 years as stocks have declined in other oceans. At the same time, New Zealand’s […]

Crayfish leftovers not good enough

March 28, 2015 There are ongoing issues related to the management of our crayfish stocks that need to be addressed this year. Crayfish are a prized shellfish, a taonga, and we need to be sure that the public’s long-term interests are protected and we have reasonable access to our crayfish. In our recent submission responding to the latest […]

Stop wasting our fish!

March 12, 2015 Fish dumping and unnecessary wastage in our fisheries has to stop, and many of you have the handiest tool to address it – your cellphone camera. Several trawlermen have revealed that dumping happens on every trawl. One skipper estimates 10-15 bins of undersized fish were thrown back dead after every trawl. The crew is required […]

Surprising results from recreational catch survey

March 12, 2015 Over 4.5 million snapper, 1.1 million kahawai, and 680,000 blue cod were caught and kept by recreational fishers during 2011-12. These are the three most popular marine species, by number, in New Zealand. Around 5.4 % of all finfish was taken from charter vessels. These estimates and harvest figures for other popular species have been detailed […]

Are yellowfin on the comeback?

March 5, 2015 It seems that yellowfin tuna are not gone forever from New Zealand waters. Dare we hope that this season is just the start of their return, or is this just a painful reminder of the superb fishery that has been lost? The Bay of Plenty was once our yellowfin ‘tuna capital’ over summer. For most […]

Crayfish becoming exclusive property

March 1, 2015 Crayfish might not be on everyone’s catch list but they are a treasured meal when shared with family and friends. Not surprisingly they are also a valuable commercial species so when it comes to management there is always high interest in any catch increases. Management of five crayfish stocks is under review. These stocks extend […]

Fishing amongst seabirds

February 21, 2015 More species of seabirds breed in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world. Seabirds are good indicators of what is below the water’s surface, this makes them an angler’s best friend. But when seabirds get close to the boat they can easily tangle in our fishing lines or get caught on baited hooks. This can […]

Surprises in new recreational harvest survey

February 17, 2015 Over 4.5 million snapper, 1.1 million kahawai and 680,000 blue cod were caught and kept by recreational fishers during 2011-12. These are the three most popular marine species, by number, in New Zealand. Around 5.4 percent of all finfish was taken from charter vessels. These estimates and harvest figures for other popular species have been […]