Wanted – alive and unharmed

The phrase “like a fish out of water” expresses the discomfort someone can feel when they experience something new and unusual.

Spiny red rock lobster

Live fish being returned to the water need to be handled carefully if they are to have the best chance of survival. They should be handled with wet cotton or rubber gloves, or at least wet hands, and returned to the water very gently. Allow the fish to slide into the water from as close to the surface as possible. If you discover you are fishing in an area with large numbers of under-sized fish, move to another spot or use a larger hook size. Fish, especially shellfish and rock lobster, should be returned to the water as near as possible to the place where they were found.

Paua can bleed to death if injured as their blood is unable to clot. It is best then to try to measure their length before removing them. If they’re too small, leave them where they are. If you return them to the water, place them back where they came from, with their foot against a surface they can clamp on to. Paua placed on sand have no chance of survival.

Fish taken in excess of your daily limit, under-sized fish, or fish taken in nets with under-sized mesh must be returned immediately to the water.