Skip Navigation LinksHome > Recreational > Find Your Fishing Area > Southern > Finfish - Bag & Size Limits

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

Barracouta

30

Quinnat salmon

2

Blue cod

30*

Red cod

10

Blue moki

15

Red gurnard

30

Bluenose

30

Red moki

15

Blue shark

1

Rig

5

Bronze shark

1

School shark

5

Butterfish/Greenbone

15

Seven gilled shark

1

Eels

6

Skate ray

5

Elephant fish

5

Snapper

10^

Flatfish

30

Spiky dogfish

15

Grey mullet

30

Stargazer

30

Hammerhead shark

1

Tarakihi

15

Kahawai

15

Thresher shark

1

Lamprey

30

Trevally

30

Ling

30

Trumpeter

15

Mako shark

1

Warehou

15

Marblefish

30

Wrasse

30

Marlin

1

 

 

Porbeagle shark

1

  

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).

Finfish Length is measured from the tip of the nose to the rear end of the middle ray of the tail fin as shown here.

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

- Southland FMA

33

100

Blue Moki

40

114

Bluenose

-

160

Butterfish/Greenbone

35

108

Elephant fish

-

150

Flatfish (except sand flounder)

25

100

Garfish (piper)

-

25

Groper/Hapuka/Bass

-

160

Herrings (Yellow eyed mullet)

-

25

Kahawai

-

90

Kingfish

75

100

Grey Mullet

-

90

Pilchard

-

25

Red Cod

25

100

Red Gurnard

25 100

Red moki

40

115

Rig

-

150

Salmon (Otago Harbour)

45

-

Sand flounder

23

100

School shark

-

150

Snapper

25

125

Tarakihi

25

100

Trevally

25

100

Trumpeter

35 100

All Others

-

100

Updated : 7 April 2008