Kia ora Friend, Kiwi's care deeply about fish and the future of our marine environment. This was evident when thousands of recreational fishers stood together at the One Ocean Protest in November 2025. Then 33,000 people spoke up and opposed the controversial Fisheries Amendment Bill.
That pressure worked. Because of people like you, most political parties have listened and released fisheries policies ahead of the election. Keep scrolling to see our latest version of LegaSea's political scorecard.
A special shoutout to the Tag Blacks who compete in the Tag World Cup starting tomorrow, Thursday, in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales. Our own Carlos Hotene is coach of the Open Mens Team. LegaSea is proud to sponsor this epic team.
As part of the 40th anniversary of the Quota Management System we dive into our third instalment exposing the failures of the so-called "world-leading" system. Check out last week's newsletter here if you haven't already. |
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QMS failure series #3 - Entrenching bottom trawling |
Bottom trawling is so destructive that many countries have banned or phased it out. Yet in clean, green New Zealand, we still use this archaic fishing method.
The scientific evidence is irrefutable. Weighted nets and trawl doors plough the seabed, flattening habitats that can take decades to recover. Trawling kills life on the seafloor that the marine food web depends on. It also hauls up bucket loads of unwanted fish too.
If it's so bad, then why are we still doing it? Because the Quota Management System (QMS) encourages and rewards such behaviour. |
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After 40 years of the QMS, private investors now control a valuable public resource: our fish. Today, slipper skippers profit by leasing catching rights to the people actually out on the water fishing. Those fishers are left working to tight margins just to make ends meet. So bulk harvesting methods like trawling become the cheapest way to fill the hold.
Claims that banning bottom trawling will cost jobs and the economy fall short. Jobs for regional, coastal communities come from catching, processing and selling quality fish from a healthy, abundant marine environment. A well-managed transition plan is required to provide a viable pathway to change. Friday night fish and chips doesn't need a bottom trawler. We know that alternatives already work in our inshore waters. Leigh Fish has sold premium longlined snapper since the late 1950s. This is maximising value and respecting each fish while having a lower impact. Several political parties have stated they support a transition away from bottom trawling. The missing piece is addressing the system responsible. While the QMS remains, trawling stays entrenched. New Zealand needs a system focused on restoring abundance, one that backs fishers using selective methods and innovation to lighten their environmental footprint.
A thriving coastal marine environment and commercial fishing can co-exist. We just need an alternative system to enable change. We're not saying no to fishing. We're saying yes to a better way. |
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Want to learn more? Look out for our article next week as we dive into more reasons why the QMS ought to be replaced with a more innovative system. |
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Quick facts about bottom trawling |
🪼 Are there alternative fishing methods to bottom trawling in our coastal fisheries?
Yes. Alternatives to trawling include longlining, trapping and spearfishing, as they are more selective and less damaging to the marine environment. While these methods may be more time-consuming, they generally deliver better-quality fish, which ought to attract a higher-value return. |
🪼 Will transitioning away from bottom trawling in our coastal fisheries make fish more expensive?
Unlikely. The capture method only has a small influence on the retail price of fish. The majority of the retail sale price is influenced and captured by the quota owner, who then leases out the catch entitlement to fishers on the water. Those fishers make relatively low returns yet have higher costs in fuel, crew, bait and ice. For example, the quota owner may pay a fisher $4 per kilo for landed snapper that retails for over $50 per kilo.
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🪼 Will thousands of Kiwis lose their jobs if we transition away from bottom trawling?
Not if the transition is done well. A well-designed transition plan would support commercial fishers to change their fishing practices to more selective methods. Some jobs may disappear however, the goal is to revitalise small-scale fishing operations in the regions so more jobs will be available to families and coastal communities. A thriving inshore fleet also creates business for processors, marine suppliers, transport operators and local shops, strengthening regional communities.
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Political scorecard - NZFirst and the Nats have their say |
Compared to 2023, we're already better informed this year on where each party stands in terms of fisheries. We've recently received feedback on our 6 policy statements from National and NZ First, so we've updated the Fisheries Policy Analysis scorecard. LegaSea is non-partisan. We're not telling you who to vote for because everyone's priorities are different. The scorecard shows where each party's policy matches our vision, so you can make an informed choice at the general election. Please make sure you vote on 7 November for the party that best fits your needs and your vision for marine abundance. Click here for their full responses. |
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Where do our leaders sit on bottom trawling? |
Fisheries are firmly on the political agenda. Last week in the leaders' debate with Jack Tame, Labour and National were asked point blank if they support phasing in a ban on bottom trawling.
Chris Hipkins replied with a stern yes. Christopher Luxon seemed hesitant at first but stated he is "absolutely" open to reviewing the issue. Cross-party support for transitioning away from bottom trawling, brings us closer to real change. Watch the debate below and see our political scorecard to see what the other parties are supportive of phasing out bottom trawling in our coastal waters. Watch it here. |
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Kai ika filleting at Westhaven |
After six years at Z Pier, Westhaven, the Kai Ika filleting service will not be operating this season.
Like many community organisations, we have found it hard to fund the shortfall in running the filleting service. On top of that, we have seen fewer fishing trips. The price of fuel and the state of the Hauraki Gulf fishery have meant fewer fish coming back to the pier. So this season, we are putting our resources into our community fish distributions. Thank you to everyone who brought their catch to Z Pier, and to Auckland Council, Westhaven Marina, our partners, charter operators and volunteers. Together we recovered more than 10,000 kg of fish heads and frames at Z Pier each year and diverted them on to family tables across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Westhaven is just one part of what we do. Kai Ika recovers around 3,000 kg of fish heads and frames every week across Auckland and Wellington, and shares them with families who value them as kai. We also supply this protein to community organisations to feed their own communities, including our founding partner Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae, Visionwest, Auckland City Mission, The Grace Foundation and Everybody Eats.
This summer, make you catch go another round. Fish heads and frames are full of flavour and goodness. Try them in a soup, a curry or on the barbecue.
Share what you do not use. If you are not going to eat your heads and frames, pass them on to family, friends or neighbours who will. You can find the Free Fish Heads app here. You can support Kai Ika by collecting your cans. Drop your aluminium cans into our Cans for Kai bins at Farro stores and around Westhaven Marina in Auckland. Every can helps put more kai on the table.
Stay in touch. Follow Kai Ika on Instagram and Facebook for updates. |
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Changes to the intertidal harvesting rules |
The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries has confirmed new recreational shellfish rules for the Auckland Coromandel area. These new rules take effect on 1 November 2026. What's changed -
The intertidal zone is closed to harvesting most invertebrates. The closed area runs from the high-water mark to 2 metres depth on the mainland and Waiheke Island, so the boundary moves with the tide.
- Mussels, cat's eyes, limpets, periwinkles and other rock pool species can't be taken in the defined intertidal zone.
- Cockles, pipi, tuatua, kina, pāua, oysters, scallops (west coast) and rock lobster can still be taken in the zone under their existing limits.
- Outside the 2 m depth zone, the mussel limit stays at 50 combined, but the green-lipped mussel daily limit reduces from 25 to 10 per person.
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Shellfish without a specified daily limit, such as cat's eyes and limpets, drop from 50 to 10 outside the 2 m depth zone.
- New daily limits apply across the whole Auckland Coromandel area, inside and outside the defined 2 m intertidal zone: crabs 10, octopus 1, sea cucumbers 5, squid 10 and shrimps/prawns 50.
Existing closures still apply. Our submission
In June, the joint recreational submitters, New Zealand Sport Fishing Council, New Zealand Angling and Casting and LegaSea lodged their submission in support of a partial intertidal closure. We also argued the rules need to reflect real differences across the area. The west coast has limited foot access and different harvest pressure from the inner Hauraki Gulf, and conditions on the eastern Coromandel differ again.
We recommended area-specific exceptions for mussels and oysters, a lower east coast kina limit, and investigating separate management for the eastern Coromandel. The Minister has instead applied one set of rules across the whole area.
You can read more on the new rules here. |
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How do we solve a problem like bottom trawling? Bottom trawling is wasteful, destructive, contributes to climate change and damages marine habitat. It's also how we catch around two-thirds of our fish. What could we do better? Rebekah White, Newsroom, October 2026 |
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LegaSea is proudly supported by its Gold and Platinum partners: |
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