Southern Region Fishery Management Area
Finfish
Bag limits and size restrictions
In the Southern Region (South-East, Southland and Sub-Antarctic Fishery Management Areas) there is a combined daily bag limit of 30 finfish per person, consisting of any combination of the species listed on the following panel, as long as the individual species limits are not exceeded.
Unattended set nets in East Otago Taiapure
A person using a set net in East Otago taiapure must, at all times, remain in the immediate vicinity of the set net.
In this regulation, East Otago taiapure means the area described in the Schedule to the Fisheries (East Otago Taiapure) Order 1999.
Finfish Method and Species Restrictions>>
Southern region finfish bag limits.
Fish species | Maximum daily limit per person | Fish species | Maximum daily limit per person |
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Barracouta | 30 | Quinnat salmon | 2 |
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Blue cod | 30* | Red cod | 10 |
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Blue moki | 15 | Red gurnard | 30 |
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Bluenose | 30 | Red moki | 15 |
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Blue shark | 1 | Rig | 5 |
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Bronze shark | 1 | School shark | 5 |
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Butterfish/Greenbone | 15 | Seven gilled shark | 1 |
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Eels | 6 | Skate ray | 5 |
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Elephant fish | 5 | Snapper | 10^ |
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Flatfish | 30 | Spiky dogfish | 15 |
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Grey mullet | 30 | Stargazer | 30 |
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Hammerhead shark | 1 | Tarakihi | 15 |
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Kahawai | 15 | Thresher shark | 1 |
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Lamprey | 30 | Trevally | 30 |
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Ling | 30 | Trumpeter | 15 |
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Mako shark | 1 | Warehou | 15 |
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Marblefish | 30 | Wrasse | 30 |
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Marlin | 1 | | |
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Porbeagle shark | 1 | | |
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Species daily limits
* Kaikoura - North Canterbury (those waters between Clarence Point and the Waimakariri River)
- Maximum daily limit of 10 blue cod per person fishing.
^ Within the Southland and Sub-Antarctic FMA the snapper daily limit is 30.
Additionally, there are individual limits, over and above the combined bag, for groper/hapuku/bass and kingfish. These species have a combined daily limit of 5 (with no more than 3 kingfish). There is no limit on species not named above.
Length measurement
Finfish length is measured from the tip of the nose to the “V” in the tail (as shown in diagram).
Dredging restrictions in Foveaux Strait
No person may use, or have in the person’s possession, a dredge with a bar or bit that is more than 1m long within:
a) those waters of Foveaux Straut bounded by a straight line commencing at Saddle Point on Stewart Island (at 46°43.4’S and 167°58.7’E) to Garden Point (at 46°46.4’S and 168°00.3’E) then by a straight line to Mamaku Point (at 46°51.7’S and 168°08.7’E) then along the mean high-water mark to the point of commencement:
b) those waters of Foveaux Strait bounded by a straight line commencing at North Head on Ruapuke Island (at 46°44.3’S and 168°31.9’E) to Seal Rock (at 46°45.1’S and 168°35.8’E) then to the westmost point of Green Island (at 46°46.2’S and 168°34.0’E) then to Parangiaio Point on Ruapuke Island (at 46°46.4’S and 168°32.6’E) then along the mean high-water mark to the point of commencement:
c) those waters of Paterson Inlet bounded by a straight line commencing at Ackers Point (at 46°53.8’S and 168°09.8’E) to Sprat Point on Bench Island (at 47°54.2’S and 168°14.4’E) then along the mean high-water mark to southwesternmost point on Bench Island (at 46°54.9’S and 168°13.6’E) then by a straight line to East Cape on Stewart Island (at 47°00.9’S and 168°13.8’E) then along themean high-water mark to the point of commencement.
Southern region finfish size restrictions.
Fish species | Minimum fish
length (cm) | Minimum set net
mesh size (mm) |
|---|
Blue Cod- South-East FMA | 30 | 100 |
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- Southland FMA | 33 | 100 |
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Blue Moki | 40 | 114 |
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Bluenose | - | 160 |
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Butterfish/Greenbone | 35 | 108 |
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Elephant fish | - | 150 |
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Flatfish (except sand flounder) | 25 | 100 |
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Garfish (piper) | - | 25 |
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Groper/Hapuka/Bass | - | 160 |
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Herrings (Yellow eyed mullet) | - | 25 |
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Kahawai | - | 90 |
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Kingfish | 75 | 100 |
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Grey Mullet | - | 90 |
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Pilchard | - | 25 |
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Red Cod | 25 | 100 |
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Red Gurnard |
25 |
100 |
Red moki | 40 | 115 |
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Rig | - | 150 |
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Salmon (Otago Harbour) | 45 | - |
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Sand flounder | 23 | 100 |
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School shark | - | 150 |
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Snapper | 25 | 125 |
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Tarakihi | 25 | 100 |
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Trevally | 25 | 100 |
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Trumpeter |
35 |
100 |
All Others | - | 100 |
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