23/03/2026
Please share, sign, contact decision makers and raise awareness!
- Write to your MP now
- Share this with all your friends, family and fishing buddies
- Make sure you're signed up to LegaSea to stay up to date
On Wednesday, New Zealand First List MP Shane Jones released the much-anticipated Fisheries Amendment Bill, and it’s worse than expected. The Bill proposes a plethora of changes designed to help the fishing industry bulk-harvest more of our fish from our oceans for overseas markets.
Not on our watch. Let’s Kill the Bill.
One of those little gems for his lobbyists was the removal of commercial minimum-size limits on species such as kingfish, snapper, trevally, and tarakihi. In simple terms, it would allow the commercial sector to catch and sell juvenile fish before they’ve had a chance to spawn.
Minimum size limits have a purpose. They give fish that additional opportunity to reproduce before they’re taken. Take that away, and you’re reducing the number of fish entering the ecosystem in future years. It doesn’t take much to see where that leads.
This is a step backwards. Legalising the landing and sale of juvenile fish puts additional pressure on fish stocks that many New Zealanders already feel are declining.
On the other hand, recreational fishers will still have their usual minimum legal size limits, and we accept the regulations, so why haven’t a handful of commercial interests? It’s hard to see where that even begins to make sense.
The intent of the Bill is to grow the value of the seafood sector exports. But catching juvenile fish doesn’t build a stronger fishery; it weakens it. Fewer mature fish means less spawning, and less spawning means fewer fish coming through.
There’s also a broader economic picture that’s being overlooked. Recreational fishing contributes around $1.7 billion to the New Zealand economy each year. A big part of that comes from people targeting species like kingfish. If those fisheries decline, that impact is felt well beyond the water, right through coastal communities and local businesses.
Much of the commercial catch, meanwhile, continues to be exported. So the trade-off is pretty clear and unfair. More pressure on local fish stocks, fewer opportunities for New Zealanders to catch their own fish, and more of our fish leaving the country.
This proposal sits alongside a wider set of changes that reduce public oversight and environmental protections that have been in place for decades. The Bill limits people's ability to have a say in catch limits, shortens the timeframe to challenge ministerial decisions, and restricts access to onboard camera footage. It shifts more control to the industry and the Minister at the same time, while reducing transparency.
More than 27,000 submissions were made on the first round of proposals in 2025. Despite widespread opposition, public input was ignored and more amendments have been added.
For us, this all points in the same direction - short-term gain being prioritised over the long-term health of fish stocks and the wider marine environment.
Fish are a public resource - they belong to all New Zealanders, not just those who want to bulk export overseas. Decisions about how they are managed should reflect the interests of all New Zealanders now and in the future.
Our fisheries management team is working hard to understand the details of the Fisheries Amendment Bill.
One thing is clear: we do not accept the leftovers of a broken quota management system. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, feeding Kiwis ought to be a priority. And we will be doing our utmost to kill the Bill.
What can you do to help?
We want to Kill the Bill in the tracks. It can be voted out at its first reading. Please:
- Write to your MP now and express your outrage.
- Share this with all your friends, family and fishing buddies.
- Make sure you're signed up to LegaSea to stay up to date.
