Kia ora Friend,
Today we turn 10.
10 years of building teams, capacity, confidence, and competence. 10 years of encouraging New Zealanders that healthy and productive coastal fisheries will be positive for everyone - environmentally, socially, and economically.
Launched on the 9th February 2012, LegaSea was started as, and remained the public outreach and fundraising arm of the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council.
This is not a journey we have undertaken lightly and it's not one we are walking alone. Thank you to all the people, partners and donors that have contributed along the way. There are far too many to single out.
Scallop rāhui in the Hauraki Gulf
Ngāti Manuhiri placed a rāhui on all scallop harvesting in their rohe moana due to a decline in scallop populations. The closure area spans from Mangawhai Heads down to Takapuna, encompassing Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands, and applies to commercial, recreational and customary fishing.
A dawn ceremony to lay a rāhui tapū was held on Waitangi day at Tāwharanui regional park, with our LegaSea crew attending the ceremony.
The rāhui is supported by local communities, recreational fishers and organisations alike. The unifying factor? An overt desire to restore the state of these scallop populations.
The area in the covered by the rāhui
"It's very motivating to see that the local community rallying together and taking control to ensure their scallop beds are not wiped out like we have already seen in the Marlborough Sounds, Tasman and Golden Bays, and the Kaipara Harbour," says Yachting New Zealand's Chief Executive David Abercrombie.
Please support the rāhui, for the moment its our best chance of helping restore Hauraki Gulf scallop populations.
Recent applications from Ngāti Hei, Ngāti Tamatera and Ngāti Paoa to close scallop fisheries in their areas have been approved by Minister Parker, and with Ngāti Manuhiri also joining the action, it is clear scallop populations need time to rebuild and the fishery needs to shut.
We are excited to welcome another LegaSea Gold Partner to the family.
The COBB Grill is the ultimate all-in-one portable outdoor cooker, bringing cooking convenience to boating. The base remains cool-to-touch on the outside whilst cooking hot on the inside. This allows you to cook on any surface safely with no heat transfer. With accessories that will enable you to smoke, roast, boil and fry, the COBB Grill is a dream cooking set up for those who love to catch & cook. Coal or gas options available. A fantastic way to cook your catch in a variety of ways.
And from now until midnight 16th February, COBB Grill will donate 20% of their profits to LegaSea on all products sold!
Get your COBB here.
After 9 years of resistance the government is on track to finally get cameras on board commercial vessels to monitor fishing activity. Installations are expected to start at the end of 2022 and finish in 2024.
We're encouraging the Minister to initiate the camera rollout as soon as possible!
Read more here.
Innovative solutions to restore crayfish numbers
When science and decision-making collide in the world of fisheries management, conservation is most often the loser. Fisheries NZ recently proposed a 5 to 15 percent cut to commercial catch limits in the northern crayfish fishery and catch increases in southern areas.
Despite the optimistic science, most of our crayfish stocks are managed below optimum levels. LegaSea collaborated with the NZ Sport Fishing Council fisheries team and other organisations to submit in support of more conservative decisions so we can all enjoy a healthy rock lobster fishery in the future. Read more here.
With little science to justify conservative decisions, management of hāpuku and bass has been very much a guessing game. Fisheries NZ recently issued proposals to cut catch limits, but they don't go far enough. More precautionary decisions are now required to restore hāpuku and bass numbers to more natural levels in waters around the top of the South Island and lower North Island.
Read our recent submission here.
No escape from scallop closure
Fisheries NZ has advised that existing scallop numbers in the Northland and Hauraki Gulf-Coromandel management areas cannot support fishing at current levels. We want to give our scallop beds a rest so they can rebuild to abundant levels. A healthy scallop fishery is good for the environment and us. In our latest submission we urge the Minister, David Parker, to close the Northland and Coromandel fisheries for a minimum of 3 years and ban dredging when the fishery reopens. Read more here.
BREAKING NEWS: Kōparepare Rosé wins Double Gold
Announced today, the 2021 Kōparepare Pinot Noir Rosé has won a Double Gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show!
This is now New Zealand's largest wine judging competition and a great achievement for a fantastic wine. We always knew it was a great drop but it is good to see it get the recognition it deserves.
2021 stocks are running short, but you can still order now from the Whitehaven website.
And remember, every bottle of Kōparepare sold is a contribution to LegaSea and restoring our marine environment.
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Ngā mihi
Trish and the LegaSea crew
LegaSea appreciates the ongoing support of our Platinum and Gold partners -
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