Kia ora Friend,
As Kiwis, many of us derive our wellbeing from fishing or enjoying someone's catch. Whether that's a fresh scallop, snapper, or a chunky butterfish. All of it is most welcome on the dinner plate.
LegaSea is committed to keeping you updated on what's happening in the world of fisheries management because we care about how much fish is being wasted. We also work hard to highlight the need to better protect the marine environment that our fish depend on to survive.
Right now our fisheries team is dealing with a raft of proposals that reflect a broken Quota Management System. Area closures, fisheries closures and a tarakihi fish stock that has tanked, now below 8% of its estimated original stock level on the east coast. Several submissions are underway, and we await the Minister's decision for pāua, elephant fish, snapper, trevally and tarakihi.
In this update we cover the proposed opening of scallop harvesting in Whangārei Harbour, give you some interesting facts on snapper mortality, and offer you the chance to win big at the Mystery Creek 2026 NZ Boat, Fish & Dive Expo, or the ultimate prize from the Northern Rescue's Extreme Lottery. Don't miss out. Get in quick. |
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Photo Scott Cushman The 1st of September used to mark the opening of the recreational scallop season. A time to squeeze back into your wetsuit and prep the barbeque. Now it's just a memory of the good ol' days, when we could still gather and share these tasty morsels. Decades of mismanagement has wiped this taonga (treasured) species from our plates, and from the commercial industry altogether.
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has directed Fisheries NZ to consult on options to open a few scallop beds to recreational harvest in Whangārei Harbour, as early as November 2026. The rest of the Northland and Coromandel fishery would remain closed. At this stage there are no plans to reopen the Marlborough scallop fishery.
Fisheries NZ has advised that some of the beds in the Whangārei Harbour area, "May be capable of supporting a cautious level of utilisation".
Official survey results are mixed. Scallop numbers have stayed relatively stable for some beds since the 2022 closure. But density has decreased and there are fewer juvenile scallops in the larger beds.
This is concerning because scallops are broadcast spawners. That means they require large numbers of scallops nearby to reproduce successfully. Even in perfect conditions, reproduction rates can vary significantly from year to year.
The management area for Northland scallops (SCA 1) extends east from Ahipara on the northwest coast down to Cape Rodney on the east coast. The Minister has a duty to manage scallops across this whole fishery, not just small pockets.
We'd love to have scallops on our plates as much as anyone. But every single scallop counts. We don't want to rush recovery. It's important to leave more scallops in the water while the wider fishery is trying to recover from decades of dredging.
Fisheries NZ's consultation doesn't address the elephant in the room - the outdated Quota Management System that drove the depletion of scallops.
Now is the prime opportunity to rethink how we can better manage scallops when numbers rebuild and before the wider fishery reopens for harvest.
Meantime, we need to fully understand the current proposal and how best to respond.
LegaSea will be supporting the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council to make a submission. We will keep you updated. You can have your say before 5pm Friday 18 September. Email your submissions to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz. Feel free to copy us in fm@legasea.co.nz
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Snapper discard mortality: putting the numbers in context |
Photo by Chris Maraj A report revealing that 250 tonnes of snapper die every year due to recreational fishing in northern waters has created a whirlwind response. Let's look at the facts. An increase in mortality was predicted in 2013 when officials increased the recreational minimum size limit from 27 cm to 30 cm. Commercial fishers only record released snapper under 25 cm, so those mortalities are not comparable.
Also, before the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries can allow any fishing he must specify a tonnage of fish that will cover expected mortality. In the northeastern snapper stock, 450 tonnes is set aside to cover mortality due to all fishing, illegal catch, and black market catches combined. There is a strong case for management strategies that optimise yield by leaving fish in the water to grow larger before capture. Larger fish are more resilient to catch and release, and environmental changes.
Whether snapper stocks continue to prove resilient will depend on how effectively officials, and the recreational and commercial sectors work to reduce discard mortality. Because every fish that dies on release represents a lost opportunity for export earnings or a family's dinner. It also jeopardises the value that abundant, healthy fisheries hold for current and future generations of New Zealanders. Read full article here. |
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Quick Facts about release mortality |
🎣 When and how was the last study into snapper mortality done?
Results from the most recent survey estimating snapper mortality due to recreational fishing were published by Fisheries New Zealand in July 2026. That research found that around 250 tonnes of snapper in northern waters die annually when discarded by recreational fishers. A large percentage of those discarded fish were in the Hauraki Gulf, around 23% by weight. Researchers caught the fish then put them into holding nets to monitor which ones floated and died, and which ones survived.
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🎣 What does "release mortality" mean?
Release mortality is the fish that are caught, returned to water, then die. For snapper, two things drive it: the depth a fish is caught in (deeper water brings a higher risk of barotrauma, swim bladder damage that can stop a fish getting back down) and where it's hooked (a fish hooked in the throat or gut is far less likely to survive than one hooked in the lip). |
🎣 How many released fish survive?
Most released snapper live. Survival rates largely depend on fishing depth and where the fish is hooked. Gill hooked and gut hooked fish have the worst survival rates. In the most recent study, only about 3% of snapper were seen floating at the surface, and considered 'dead'. It is likely that some snapper that swam away looking healthy may have died later. Overall, the research expected roughly a fifth of released snapper to die.
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Photo NZ Herald
In good faith, LegaSea has participated in the review of the proposed Fisheries Act Amendment Bill. We have stood alongside the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council and others interested in restoring marine abundance. After successfully killing the Bill, Shane Jones accused LegaSea of being "recreational activists". But that's not all.
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries then went on to say that because the Bill didn't get over the line, particular infringement notices couldn't be issued against people not complying with harvesting rules. This is simply untrue.
We objected. So we wrote to the Prime Minister asking him to censure Jones. It was unacceptable for a Minister of the Crown to be misrepresenting the truth. The PM has responded. He is disappointed with the Minister's comments and encourages people to vote in the upcoming election.
More details here. |
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NZ Boat, Fish & Dive Expo on this weekend |
This weekend we're heading to Mystery Creek for the 2026 NZ Boat, Fish & Dive Expo - a highlight of the calendar for anyone into boating, fishing, scuba diving, free-diving, spearfishing, kayaking, wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing, or seafood and its culinary preparation. The LegaSea crew will be on-site all weekend, ready to talk through what's at stake right now - from the Fisheries Amendment Bill and the upcoming election, to the scallop and Great Barrier crayfish proposals. There's a lot in motion, and we'll be there to give you the full picture. Doors open Saturday 30 August at 9am and finishes at 4pm on Sunday afternoon. Get your tickets here. |
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Get into Northern Rescue's Extreme Lottery |
We're proud to be backing Northern Rescue's Extreme Lottery alongside the New Zealand Sports Fishing Council, and we want our LegaSea community to get behind it too.
One lucky winner will take home a prize package worth more than $400,000, including a brand-new boat, a Ford Ranger, and a stack of fishing and safety gear. Pretty much everything you'd want for your next trip on the water.
Every ticket sold helps Northern Rescue keep flying urgent aeromedical missions, on average six a day, for people in trouble on our roads, beaches and waterways. As a fishing and boating community, we know how quickly things can turn out there, and how much it matters to have a rescue helicopter ready to respond. Because every rescue isn't just a patient. It's a daughter, a father, a partner, a friend, and the people waiting for them to come home.
Grab your ticket and help keep our crews in the air when it matters most. |
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Proportionality - the end to fishing as we know it
One of the biggest threats to recreational fishers is proportional allocation of the Total Allowable Catch. Commercial quota owners have spent more than 20 years pursuing this dream, and it was one of the most controversial elements of the recent Fisheries Amendment Bill. LegaSea and our partners remain determined to keep this sleeping giant at bay because if implemented, proportionality will change the way we fish forever.
LegaSea, August 2026 |
Going, going, gone…
It's been a big year for our fish. Communities around the country have lodged more than 10 applications to close local areas to harvest for some or all species. And there's been widespread public opposition to the Fisheries Amendment Bill forcing the Minister to put it on hold until after the election. Most recently, we responded to more than 12 proposals from Fisheries NZ that do not prioritise fish abundance.
LegaSea, August 2026 |
Demand high for free fish heads in South Auckland
Leftover fish is being given out through the Kai Ika project - a collaboration between not-for-profit LegaSea, which sources the fish, and Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae which handles the distribution. Some people in Mangere are queuing for hours to collect these parts of the fish, that are usually unused by commercial fishers, but often prized in Maori, Pasifika and Asian communities.
Luka Forman, Morning Report, RNZ, August 2026 |
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LegaSea is proudly supported by its Gold and Platinum partners: |
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