Photo by Richard Merriman

Kia ora Friend,

Either coincidentally, or on purpose, there are two very important public consultations on Hauraki Gulf Marine Park issues running over the election and into November. A cynic might suggest that these were timed to keep the public focus away from these issues. It's likely we will never find out if that's true.

The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Bill passed its first reading on the last day that Parliament sat. The Bill is now open for public consultation. 

Trawl corridors in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park is another contentious issue requiring your prompt feedback. 

Officially called Bottom Fishing Access Zones, these are part of the bigger plan to manage fishing and establish 19 marine protected areas in the Marine Park. 

These are both critically important issues for the future of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, for the people who live around it and for all New Zealand. That's because the results of these initiatives are likely to shape future Fisheries Management and Marine Protection decisions around the country.

We're here to help you understand the issues and press for the right outcomes. We will need your help though. So please standby for your opportunity to have input.

Hauraki Gulf /Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill

The Minister of Conservation has issued the Hauraki Gulf /Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill to support 19 new marine protected areas (MPAs). The Environment Select Committee has called for submissions. Deadline is 1 November, 2023. 

This is an important process as this is new legislation enabling two novel categories of MPAs. The 12 High Protection Areas (HPAs) are no-take zones with only Maori customary fishing permitted. The 5 Seafloor Protection Areas (SPAs) prohibit bottom contact fishing such as trawling, dredging and Danish seining. There are also extensions to the existing Goat Island and Cathedral Cove marine reserves.

LegaSea is working with the NZ Sport Fishing Council and other groups to develop a collective response. We'll also offer you an opportunity to easily have your say, so keep an eye out for that link in our next newsletter.

Time to have your say on Trawl Corridors

The Hauraki Gulf Marine Park Fisheries Plan has been approved by the Minister. Fisheries NZ is now consulting on the Trawl zones with submissions due with FNZ by 6 November.

FNZ has proposed 4 options for specific trawl zones in the Marine Park. Trawl zone options here. 

Despite our repeated requests, FNZ has not included an option to ban all trawling, dredging and Danish seining in the Marine Park even though this is the prime opportunity to change the rules. 

What is required for the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park?

1. Option Zero - total ban on trawling, dredging and Danish seining. 
2. A separate fisheries management area with lower catch limits applying, so commercial fishing effort doesn't just shift into waters around Northland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty. 
3. Meaningful commitment and action by FNZ to address overfishing, depletion and the use of destructive, mobile, bottom contact fishing methods in our Marine Park.

New Northland Fisheries closures

New no-take areas apply in and outside the Bay of Islands. The new rules are in place now and will remain until the Northland Regional Council's plan is reviewed, likely in 10 years time. There was no public consultation because this was not a fisheries process, it was a challenge that went through the Environment Court. 

1. More info, FAQs and maps of closed areas are online here.
2. One closed area extends from Deep Water Cove inside the Bay of Islands, to Oke Bay. No harvest of any species except kina. (daily limit applies)
3. A no-take area around Mimiwhangata. 
4. Around Cape Brett, from Deep Water Cove, south past Whangamumu, no seining or trawling is permitted to 100 metres deep. 
5. The Regional Council will be enforcing the rules, initially taking an educational approach to explain how and why these closures are in place. 
6. Maori customary fishing with a permit is allowed in all areas.

Election 23 - Who's taking our oceans seriously?

With an election looming, a new survey has found conservative ocean fishing policies will be a top priority for many people casting their votes in the October general election.

The nationwide survey by Horizon Research, reveals that most (79%) of Kiwis believe bottom trawling and dredging should be phased out of our inshore fisheries and replaced with selective fishing techniques, with only 3% wanting them to continue unrestricted. 18% didn't know.

This includes around 194,000 voters (5% of New Zealand's adult population) giving the ocean fishing policies 100% priority when they cast their party vote.

The research also found 68% of Kiwis believe conservative ocean fishing policies should have top priority, or be given more priority than they do now, by political parties.

The survey also indicated that 59% of respondents felt the commercial fishing industry has too much sway over government officials. Read more here.

We've been keeping a close eye on all the major parties' Oceans and Fisheries policies and we have sent them all questions about them. Sadly, it's not looking good. 

So far only The Green Party have released a fisheries policy. Both National and Labour have suggested one is coming, while ACT believes other issues are more important.

You can see a summary of the parties' fisheries policies and the answers to the questions we have asked them here.

NZ Sport Fishing Council AGM

The 22nd & 23rd of September saw the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council AGM hosted in Tairua at the Tairua-Pauanui Sport Fishing Club. LegaSea held its AGM on the 22nd. 

Delegates representing 53 clubs and 36,000 members from across the country convened for meaningful discussions on several key topics. These included updates on the Youth Ocean Trust, Ahu Moana, Kaitiaki, Fisheries Management reports and LegaSea initiatives. 

Notable guest speakers at the event included Scott Simpson, the Member of Parliament for Coromandel, Callum Gillespe from Coastguard, Todd Herbert, and Rowan Ashton, who shared insights on the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.

The annual AGM is always a good opportunity for delegates to ask the hard questions and feedback to their clubs around the ongoing workstreams within the NZSFC.

Mushy flesh snapper survey

Fish with mushy, white flesh is still an issue. Earlier in the year MPI commissioned a report by the Animal Health Authority which confirmed that the symptoms seen in affected fish are associated with chronic malnutrition. 

These fish can be hard to fillet, falling apart with a "mushy" texture and appear white or cloudy.

Due to "tissue breakdown" the fish may also appear skinny on the outside and the sides may be concave. Read more here.

Most of us have heard at least one story of someone catching a fish with mushy, white flesh. We still do not know how far the issue extends but we do know that this isn't just a problem found in the Hauraki Gulf. 

We want to hear about your most recent fishing trip. Fill out our survey and let us know where you caught fish, did it have mushy white flesh and when you were out? If your fish were fine we want to know that too. 

The survey will close in three weeks and will open periodically to generate a time series and track changes in the distribution of these fish. The collated view will be used anonymously to help communicate the extent of the problem to the public. All survey respondents will receive a summary of results when the survey closes.

What the latest Ministerial decisions mean for you

Rachel Brooking has announced her decisions for a range of fish stocks, effective 1 October 2023. During this year our fisheries team responded to issues relevant to the North and South Island. 

1. A ban on commercial dredging of kina in Tory Channel, Marlborough Sounds. We supported a ban. 
2. Increased commercial catch limits for kina in East Northland, Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty. We supported a modest increase. 
3. Increased commercial catch limit for trevally between East Cape and Wellington. We objected to an increase. 
4. Increased commercial catch limit for gurnard on the east coast of the South Island, down to Southland and up to Fiordland. We rejected any increases.
5. Reduced recreational daily bag limit for paua in the lower North Island area called Paua 2. Bag limit cut from 10 to 5 per person, per day. We supported a smaller management area and new bag limits informed by updated data next year. 

New Platinum Partner - OKUMA

"Protecting our marine environments for future generations is something the team at Composite Developments (CDNZ) are super passionate about. That is why from the very beginning we aligned with LegaSea, given our shared mission and values.

"Each year we have challenged ourselves to do more and really strengthen our commitment to this cause. That's why this year, following the growth and continued support of our customers, we have increased our support of Legasea to become a Platinum sponsor. This next step we see as critical in playing our role in protecting and advocating for the marine environment we love and cherish. One thing that is for sure is that if we don't all step up and make our shared cause heard, the future consequences could be severe. We have and will continue to grow our support for Legasea and see this as a vital investment in our future."

Tom Johanson, Managing Director, Composite Developments NZ Ltd.

Situations vacant

LegaSea - Paid Summer Intern

Are you a young person passionate about the marine environment, food waste and community resilience?

We have a paid summer internship available with an opportunity to progress to a full time role. This role is ideal for someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty and enjoys getting involved in a diversity of roles.

You will have a key role as a part of our Kai Ika team at our filleting stations in Auckland and the LegaSea team at the LegaSea HQ in Epsom. 

This is a hands-on role and your primary responsibilities will include: 

• Fish handling, food safety standards
• Community engagement and customer service
• Eftpos transactions, merchandise sales, maintaining Shopify 
• Maintaining Vega database software

The successful candidate will have: 

• Excellent communication skills
• An ability to multi-task and work under pressure
• Reliability and great attendance
• Available to work weekends

If you think you'd be a good fit for this role or if you would like to find out more, please get in touch with us today. Contact Sydney at sydney@legasea.co.nz.

PhD opportunity - Milky-fleshed snapper in the Hauraki Gulf: too many mouths to feed or signs of a system under stress?

In mid-2022 recreational and commercial fishers in the Hauraki Gulf started reporting the capture of skinny snapper with white and mushy flesh. Subsequent testing confirmed that the fish were malnourished and the cause was likely not related to a parasite.

Milky-fleshed snapper continue to account for about 20% of recreational fishers catch in the Hauraki Gulf. The milky-fleshed snapper condition is of great public concern as it decreases the value (recreational and commercial) of this important resource, and could be a signal of a stressed system. Its cause, however, remains a mystery.

Applications are currently being sought for a fully funded PhD position that will investigate the cause and consequences of the milky-fleshed condition of snapper in the Hauraki Gulf.

The project will involve:

• Regular sampling of recreational snapper catches (in association with Kai Ika) to describe spatial and seasonal trends, the diet of affected fish and consequences for gonad development.
• Physiological testing (e.g. blood screening, histology etc…) to determine a diagnosis for the condition.
• Recovery trials in aquaria facilities.

The successful candidate will have:

• Exceptional oral and written communication skills enabling them to work closely with recreational fishers.
• Experience with laboratory protocols and procedures.
• The ability to conduct quantitative data analysis, e.g., univariate analyses such as general linear models/general additive models and multivariate analyses such as multi-dimensional scaling.
• Practical skills in handling animals and animal husbandry are also desirable.

To apply please send a half page application describing what makes you a good candidate along with a CV and academic transcript to the research team: Darren Parsons (darren.parsons@niwa.co.nz), Andrew Jeffs (a.jeffs@auckland.ac.nz), and Tony Hickey (a.hickey@auckland.ac.nz).

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Ngā mihi nui,

Benn and the LegaSea crew

LegaSea appreciates the ongoing support of our Platinum and Gold partners -

LegaSea is a wholly owned subsidiary of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council.

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