legal

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.

Protection of Coral

No person may take or possess black coral.

A guide to the law

This advice is a summary of the amateur fishing laws of New Zealand as they relate to recreational fishing. If you do not read English, have someone translate it for you. 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) is available from Bennetts Government Bookshops.