Kia ora Friend,
MAKE A SUBMISSION ON THE COMMERCIALISATION OF MARLIN AND 19 REEF FISH SPECIES NOW! We need your help. The government has proposed to let commercial fishers keep and sell marlin by-catch that arrive to the boat dead.
Marlin in New Zealand waters have been a non-commercial species since the 1990s, protected to support the coastal communities, clubs and small towns that rely on the tourism and economic activity they generate. Opening the door for commercial sales would change that overnight, and once it happens, there is no going back. You have until this Friday, 28 November, to tell the government that marlin must be protected from commercial exploitation. A big thank you to those who have already made a submission.
The two best ways to help right now are to make a submission or support LegaSea's work directly by making a donation or becoming a LegaSea Legend. Every submission adds weight. Every donation helps us to keep going.
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At the request of commercial interests, the government has proposed 19 changes to commercial fishing regulations. The government wants to allow commercial fishers to keep and sell dead marlin and 19 species of vulnerable reef fish. These are of major concern to every Kiwi who cares about the marine environment.
LegaSea's main concerns with the marlin and reef fish proposals: Privatisation of a public resource
Marlin have been a non-commercial species since the 1990s. Commercial fishers currently catch them only as bycatch and must release them. Allowing sales would turn a long-protected public fishery into a commercial one, all for a few extra dollars a kilo. And because the tuna market is tanking.
Species at risk Marlin, red moki, boarfish and other reef species are not in the Quota Management System, meaning no limits and no safeguards. These slow-growing, resident reef fish cannot handle extra pressure and would be at real risk of depletion. Shifts fishing behaviour
Add a financial incentive and fishing behaviour changes. We saw it with broadbill swordfish, which went from accidental bycatch to using lightsticks to attract broadbill, a full commercial fishery within a decade. By 2004 they were made a Quota Management System species. Opening the door to selling marlin could lead to the same outcome, with more marlin being caught and more turning up dead. |
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🐙 What's wrong with commercial fishers keeping dead marlin and giving it away as food to local communities? Because if there is no economic return on a fish, and no Quota Management System standards applied, there is no guarantee the marlin would be kept in suitable conditions, iced and packed correctly, to ensure food safety. Creeping death. Once commercial fishers are permitted to land 'dead' marlin, those numbers will increase and the argument will then change to let them keep them, to get a return on their effort.
This means there will be an incentive for fishers to target marlin. Allowing commercial fishers to give away dead marlin will put this magnificent species at risk of exploitation for little to no gain for the public and the marine environment. |
🦈 How many marlin are currently caught by commercial fishers?
Since monitoring cameras were installed, 20 vessels have reported returning to the sea 635 marlin, total weight around 50 tonnes. Fisheries NZ advises commercial fishers report around 75% of the marlin hooked are alive when brought to the boat. This means an estimated 25% of the marlin that are brought to the boat are dead. These 25% are the fish they want to land and sell. Currently, all marlin must be released back to the sea. Commercial fishers can easily change their practices, such as setting lines shallower or leaving lines to soak longer, to ensure that every marlin is dead when brought to the boat. This would mean a significant increase in fish able to be retained by the vessel. |
🦈 Why have the 19 reef fish species been protected from commercial exploitation?
In 1993 the regulation to prohibit certain reef fish from being kept and sold by commercial fishers was introduced to reduce the risk of depleting these vulnerable species. These specific reef fish species are considered more vulnerable to depletion as they are often slow-growing and long-lived. Fisheries NZ has done little to determine the population size or reproductive potential of these species. We do know they are more vulnerable because they have fewer offspring and use the reef as shelter against larger predators, including humans.
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The History of Marlin in New Zealand |
If you want to get a proper handle on the marlin situation, this interview is the best way to do it.
Sydney Curtis, one of our own marine scientists, sits down with two of the most respected names in New Zealand gamefishing science, John Holdsworth and Pete Saul. Sydney spends her days buried in fisheries data and policy, while John and Pete have spent decades studying billfish, tagging marlin, running research programmes and working alongside recreational fishers up and down the country. Between them, there isn't much they haven't seen or dealt with in this fishery.
The three of them break down exactly what the government's proposal means, why marlin were protected as a non-commercial species, how commercial longlining actually interacts with these fish, and what could happen if sales are allowed again. They also talk through the history that has led us to this moment, from the early protections to the science behind tagging and survival, and the very real risks of opening the door to commercialising dead marlin. Set aside an hour, grab a cold one, and listen to three people who have lived and breathed this fishery for probably a combined century. It's clear, it's honest, and it gives you the context you simply cannot get from a Facebook thread
Watch it on YouTube. |
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Shane Jones and his quota-owning mates are pushing changes to the Fisheries Act that would gut the future of fishing in New Zealand. Allowing marlin to be kept and sold, opening the door to commercial harvest of reef species, and ramming through a Fisheries Reform package that puts short-term commercial gain ahead of healthy fish stocks and community access. None of it lines up with a healthy fishery or a fair future for our kids. We're not standing by - and neither should you.
Right now, we're building an exclusive club of LegaSea Works Partners. For $500 + GST a year you'll join the fight to protect fishing for your kids and grandkids. In return, you'll get:
Join today and become a Works Partner.
It's going to be long. It's going to be hard. But with an band of supporters like you, we can't lose. |
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More than 500 cars, trucks, boats, trailers joined the One Ocean Protest on Saturday 21 November. It was inspiring to see the New Zealand fishing community coming together to advocate for a fisheries management system that prioritises restoration, abundance and everyday kiwis.
Recreational fishers protested against the ongoing systemic privatisation of our fisheries. Including the dangerous precedent set to allow commercial fishing in two High Protection Areas in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park and the proposal to allow commercial exploitation of non-quota species such as marlin and 19 reef fish species. Both of which have real consequences to the future management of our fisheries. A massive thanks to event organisers Ben Chissell, Injun Park, Nicky Wilson and Scott Malcon. It's encouraging to see more Kiwis waking up to the reality that the way our fisheries are currently being managed isn't working and needs to change.
The Protest may be over but there's an opportunity right now to make your voice count and keep marlin a non-commercial species. Make a submission here opposing changes to allow the commercial exploitation of marlin and 19 vulnerable reef species.
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In the News...
Recreational fishers oppose removal of protections for marlin
All power and muscle, their spear-shaped snouts piercing the water as they leap and writhe above the waves, for the serious angler, there is no greater thrill than hooking a mighty marlin. But recreational fishers fear this could become a thing of the past as the government looks to allow the fish to be sold as by-catch by commercial fishing companies.
Bella Craig, RNZ, November 2025 |
Marine – Closures a symptom, not a solution
New High Protection Areas enforcing tighter restrictions on where people can fish are now in force across the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park. Officials have created these HPAs in an attempt to address the ongoing depletion of our coastal fisheries. Nothing has been done to reduce total catches of fish. Decades of mismanagement and inaction from Fisheries NZ, who have been more focused on protecting quota interests than restoring fish stocks, have forced communities and iwi to act in their absence, using the few tools available to them.
Local Matters, November 2025 |
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LegaSea is proudly supported by its Gold and Platinum partners: |
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