Important Information

Play your part to conserve the resource

Fishing is one of New Zealand’s most popular recreational activities. Every year a large number of finfish, rock lobster and shellfish are taken by recreational fishers. This can seriously affect local fisheries. This means it is important for all fishers to act responsibly and help conserve the resource.

Know the limits

Commercial fishers must have a current fishing permit and are subject to strict quotas or limits on how much they can catch, along with many other controls. The restrictions on recreational fishers are relatively simple. The three main things to remember are:

• Don’t take more than the daily limit.
• Don’t take undersized fish
• Don’t sell or trade your catch

Only those people physically involved in taking finfish, rock lobster, or shellfish are entitled to claim a catch within the daily limit. You should also be aware of the restrictions on the fishing gear and methods you can use.

Alive and unharmed

Unlawfully taken fish (such as fish taken in excess of your daily limit, undersized fish, or fish taken with undersized mesh) must be immediately returned to the water. Fish taken alive should be handled with wet cotton or rubber gloves or at least wet hands and returned to the water very gently, allowing the fish to slide into the water from as close to the surface as possible.

It is important to return fish, especially shellfish and rock lobster, as near as possible to the place where they were found. Dead fish that are taken unlawfully must also be returned to the water. If you encounter large numbers of undersized fish then change locations or use a larger hook size. Landing nets can be used to secure fish lawfully taken by any method.

A guide

These notes provide a guide to the regulations. For full details on amateur fishing restrictions, contact your nearest Ministry of Fisheries office. A complete copy of the law (including the Fisheries Act 1983 and the Fisheries Act 1996 and associated regulations) are available from Bennetts Government Bookshops.

Set netting and drift netting bans from October

New bans on set netting and drift netting are due to come into force from 1 October 2008 to protect Maui's dolphins. More information on affected areas is available here, or contact your local MFish office.