| Recreational Fishing in New Zealand |
|
In New Zealand, the fishery is divided into three different classes.
|
 |
|
|
|
Fishing for enjoyment and/or personal consumption. Any fish caught cannot be sold or exchanged for any kind of reward. This also means that fish taken under recreational regulations cannot be auctioned in a raffle, even if that raffle is for charity purposes.
The Minister of Fisheries sets an allowance for how much fish can be taken by recreational fishermen. The allowance is based on research into how much fish has been caught in previous years.
Because the research is not that good, option4 and recreational representatives have been working hard to have the allowances set at levels that truly reflect what is actually caught by people fishing from boats, off the rocks and the beach.
Individual daily bag and minimum size limits apply to most species. The recreational allowance is usually reviewed when the commercial quota is set or changed.
|
|
|
|
|
Fishing for business. Those engaged in commercial fishing must own quota for the target species. No person or business that does not own quota can sell or trade fish in any way.
The law clearly states fisheries should be kept at a sustainable level that will leave enough fish in the water to produce fish for the future. Many fisheries important to recreational and customary fishermen are not managed at this minimum level and this makes it harder to catch a fish.
Catch limits are set by the Minister of Fisheries and quota is given to commercial fishermen. Quota limits are reviewed occasionally but many fisheries have been overfished and are not very healthy.
|
|
|
|
|
An allowance is set by the Minister to allow for customary fishing by tangata whenua. For many fisheries the information is unreliable, so often this allowance is based on the recreational catch.
Customary fishers are those who collect seafood for a hui mate or an occasion of significance. A permit is required from the kaitiaki (guardian) of the area before seafood can be taken customarily. Permits are recorded and the information is supplied to the Ministry of Fisheries every few months.
For many species there is not much customary fishing, in May 2005 Ngāpuhi Chairman, Sonny Tau, explained:
"99.999% of the time Māori are fishing they are categorised as recreational fishers. It is my contention that the customary allowance for hui is ours as of right. The area then where we catch most of our fish for kai is recreational. Although we hold commercial quota on behalf of Ngāpuhi, it is the ability to have kai, fish, on our tables for our babies and mokopuna to come that matters most."
|
|
|
|
|
| Identifying Fish |
| The Fish identification system is now online. Come and have a try at identifying some of our most common species of fish. Not sure how to differentiate a sand flounder from a yellowbelly flounder? Here is where you can find out. |
| Send us your pictures |
| We want your fishing pics! Send us a picture of your great (and not so great!) fishing pics and we will load them here on the site. |
| Staying Safe while fishing |
| New Zealand has a long and fantastic coastline, and offers so many opportunities for boat, rock and beach fishing. But anyone can get into difficulty or worse when on and around the water. There are some basic things you can do to ensure that your fishing is safe and enjoyable. |
|
