LegaSea

Photo credit: Glenys Wilson

Kia ora Friend,

It's been a busy period for our fisheries management team, with more than 12 fisheries up for review in the past two months. Public submissions have now closed, and if you were one of the thousands who had your say in support of more fish in the water - Thanks a bunch!

We've never had so many submissions, 10,000 in fact, in response to proposals for snapper and blue cod. The people we've been working with from the North Island's west coast (snapper) and South Island east coast (blue cod) appreciate your support.

All we need now is for the Minister, Hon David Parker, to make sensible decisions by September so we can all enjoy abundant fisheries in the future. Let's be bold Minister.

Public consultation is a core part of the fisheries review process, but after more than 20 years of working within the tramlines, with limited effect on shifting officials' views, it's our belief that the QMS has failed and needs to be replaced.

So don't forget to show your support for positive change in our fisheries by signing our Rescue Fish petition.

Saved scallops dredged up

The Coromandel community is up in arms after commercial scallopers were seen dredging in an area proposed for closure. People are upset that all their efforts to conserve scallops in Opito Bay and the wider eastern Coromandel area have been wasted.

In February local iwi Ngāti Hei applied for a 2-year closure to all scallop harvesting within their rohe, from Cuvier Island down to Onemana on the northeast Coromandel Peninsula. Over 2000 supported their application which is awaiting approval from David Parker, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

Until that approval is given, commercial fishers can continue to dredge scallops and the community is left to watch and wait. Read more.

Dredgers in action off Kūaotunu this week. Photo by Mike Bhana.

Government pressure and a huge thank you

This year's round of public consultation on management measures for various fisheries have now closed.

A range of options were proposed for some of New Zealand's most important fisheries and our team thought it was extra important for kiwis to have their say. Some of the proposed options were not conservative enough, so we went all in encouraging you to express your views to the government.

And what a job well done it was.

We want to thank everyone who had their say for the blue cod 3 fishery and snapper 8 fishery. It is invigorating to see support and appetite for change come from all over the country.

Using our website form, 9400 submissions were sent to the Minister regarding the second largest snapper fishery (SNA 8) in New Zealand. SNA 8 is an important fishery spanning the west coast of the North Island.

And, over 1400 submissions were sent via the website to the Minister regarding the east coast South Island blue cod fishery (BCO 3).

For both these fisheries we encouraged people to submit on a few key issues. Submitters confirmed they want more research done to better manage our fisheries, and they want to see a complete ban on bottom trawling and other destructive mobile bottom-contact fishing methods.

But the fight isn't over yet. Bottom trawling still continues in a vast number of inshore fisheries, destroying nursery areas and precious marine habitats.

We need you to talk with your friends and family about the need for big changes so we can all enjoy more fish in the future. Encourage them to sign our Rescue Fish petition, and show your support for banning bottom trawling and dredging from inshore waters.

You can read our submissions here:

Blue cod 3, Southern bluefin tuna, Kingfish deemed values.

Snapper 8, Gurnard 1, Hāpuku & bass 1 (All in the same submission document).

Tarakihi on a knife edge

Recreational fishers have called on the Minister to cut commercial catch limits by 45% to stop the east coast tarakihi fishery from collapsing. The east coast stock, from Northland to Otago, is in bad shape. It needs protection.

In our most recent submission we argued that the Minister must protect the two main spawning areas, to give tarakihi a chance to rebuild. These areas must be closed to destructive fishing methods, because bottom trawling can disrupt spawning behaviour and significantly reduce the number of fish spawning.

Read the submission here.

Food for thought

As LegaSea continues to grow as an organisation we are attracting support and interest from an ever widening group of sponsor Partners.

Our latest Partners are both well known brands who see the health of our marine environment as critically important and close to their hearts. They share our vision of a balance between healthy well managed fisheries and the need to put food on the table.

Freedom Farms stand for no crates, no cages and believe we can change the way animals are farmed by asking the "hard questions" and then only buying food we feel right about. Much like choosing to only buy line caught fish. Freedom Farms supply a full range of free range pork and eggs.

"Backing LegaSea feels like a natural fit for Freedom Farms – after more than a decade supporting Freedom farming systems that are kinder for farm animals and the environment, it's something we feel really strongly about" says Hilary Pearson GM Freedom Farms.

Our other new Partner, Turkish Bread prides itself in making 100% preservative free Pizza bases, Naan breads and other tasty products that do go pretty well with fish.

"I love what LegaSea stands for and the job they are doing to promote better fishing behaviours to increase our marine abundance" says Ken Vaughan, the owner of Turkish Bread. "Their Kai Ika Project promotes maximum utilisation of fish by celebrating the value in fish heads and frames. Smoke them up and enjoy them with some Garlic Naan". Ken loves fishing and says he's all for more abundance and better fishing experiences however he jokingly says, "if the fishing's bad you can always make a pizza".

Deep sea conservation coalition update

Last week, members from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition (DSCC) presented to the Environment Select Committee a report on the devastating impacts of deep sea trawling. The loss of biodiversity and centuries old corals cannot be underestimated. The team called on the New Zealand government to ban bottom trawling on seamounts and deep sea habitats in New Zealand's Exclusive Economic zone.

In November 2020, the Coalition and partners, including LegaSea, delivered a petition to Parliament signed by 52,443 people calling for an end to this devastating and outdated form of fishing in deep sea waters.

Our petition then got referred to the Environment Select Committee (ESC), and this new report sets out further evidence in support of our petition for the ESC to consider.

Let Them Fish – Empowering Pacific communities through sustainable fishing

After several years away, Let Them Fish are back in action with their 2021 campaign supporting Samoa.

As a result of Covid-19, more locals in the Pacific are returning to the plantation and ocean to feed their families. Sustainable utilisation is a priority.

With your support, Let Them Fish can continue working toward their goal of changing the nature of subsistence fishing in the Pacific.

Isolated villages are dependent on subsistence fishing for survival. Without access to the right gear, practises that destroy coral reefs and surrounding ecosystems are occurring every day. Let Them Fish addresses this need by sending donated fishing and diving gear from New Zealand to south Pacific islands.

Please donate your second hand rods, hand lines, spear guns, wetsuits, masks and fins. Collection bin locations are:

- Wettie in Albany

- Outboard Boating Club on Tamaki Drive

- Z Pier, Westhaven Marina.

Tairua Boat Show - on this weekend

This weekend sees the return of the Tairua Boat Show - a three day event starting today, featuring all the latest model boats, marine electronics and gear, plus big displays of all the latest fishing tackle and spearfishing gear. Over 100 new model boats from New Zealand's best manufacturers on show at the Tairua Marina.

See the very latest new Yamaha control systems with Helm master and the fabulous New XTO V8 425hp Motors in action plus more. There will be food and drink available at the Tairua-Pauanui Fishing Club.

LegaSea and the NZSFC team will be there, so be sure to drop in and see us.

tairuaboatshow.com