Upper Hutt recreational fishers might want to take a look at the proposed changes to the Fisheries Act. Submissions are open until 11 April 2025.

LegaSea are warning that Shane Jones, Minister for Oceans and Fisheries, has proposed significant changes to the Fisheries Act that will pass control of our fisheries to wealthy quota owners – privatising our public resources.

LegaSea is campaigning to highlight the proposed changes because they threaten your access to fish for food, and will cause environmental damage that may be irreversible.

LegaSea say that the changes are not a reform, they are a scam.

LegaSea was established by the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council in 2012 to elevate public awareness of the issues that affect recreational fishers and inspire people to support them. LegaSea undertakes advocacy, alignment, education and research, and is a not for profit organisation.

Significant changes to the Fisheries Act have been proposed yet they are branded as mere ‘reforms’. Don’t be fooled. The changes will not improve the management of our fisheries. They represent a fatal weakening of the Fisheries Act to allow for more fish to be caught and exported. Anyone with an interest in the marine environment ought to be concerned. The time for action is now.

If there’s insufficient public opposition, the amendments could become legislation and will:

1. Weaken environmental protection.
2. Remove statutory defences against overfishing and damaging the marine environment, by passing Ministerial controls of maximum catch limits to quota owners.
3. Reduce monitoring by allowing cameras on commercial boats to be turned off at times, while limiting public access to footage through the Official Information Act.
4. Jeopardise sustainability by allowing the Minister to set catch limits for up to five years, ignoring public consultation and annual review requirements.
5. Increase wastage by permitting more dead fish to be thrown overboard, discouraging selective fishing methods.

The LegaSea website has more information, including a template for making submissions easier to complete: https://legasea.co.nz/fisheries-reforms-scam/

You can also sign up for a free newsletter to keep up to date with what is happening with recreational fishing and protection of our fish stocks around New Zealand.

https://legasea.co.nz/support-us/sign-up/

A “thank you” to Stu for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

13/03/25