Recreational fishing for finfish and shellfish on Fiordland's coast and in the fiords is set to change with new reduced daily catch limits coming into effect from tomorrow (25 Apr).

The changes, designed to keep the fisheries healthy and sustainable, were announced today (24 Apr) by Ocean and Fisheries Shane Jones and apply to both the Fiordland Marine Area and the Chatham Islands.

Jones thanked the Fiordland Marine Guardians (FMG), an advisory group which operates under the Fiordland Marine Management Act, for developing the proposal.

“Fiordland is a unique and treasured part of New Zealand and is home to many fish species. I want to keep it that way," he said.

FMG chairperson Dr Rebecca McLeod welcomed the changes and said the Guardians wanted future generations to be able to enjoy the same experience that the current generation had been fortunate to have.

"This isn’t simply a case of holding the line."

"In several instances, fish stocks need to be rebuilt, and the only way to achieve that is to significantly reduce the overall level of fishing pressure in the fiords.”

However McLeod acknowledged that while there is widespread acceptance of the issues, people may feel aggrieved by the scale of the changes.

“During this process we have drawn heavily on accounts from people that have been fishing the area for decades."

"They speak of the days when they could catch groper in the fiords with ease and be so confident in catching blue cod for dinner that they wouldn’t take any meat in with them."

"That’s what we’re aiming for with these changes."

"We can turn these fisheries around by treading a little lighter for a while,” she said.

McLeod said there would now be higher bag limits for finfish on the more productive open coast (20 per fisher) while just 10 per fisher inside the fiords.

For example on the open coast the daily limit for blue cod is 10, compared to a limit of 1 inside the fiords, and the daily limit for pāua is 5 on the open coast and 2 inside the fiords, she said.

Looking to the future McLeod said the Guardians were encouraged by the development of recreational fishing apps like Mainland Catch that would help with monitoring stocks.

“If the fishing community gets onboard and reports their catch, we will be in a strong position to review these rules in five years’ time,” she said.

The main changes to the current limits include;

• Reductions in mixed bag and single species limits for most species of shellfish and finfish
• Establishing a new zone called “the Fiords” within each fiord, that begins at a boundary across the entrance headlands of each fiord
• Tiered mixed bag and single species limits (lower in the Fiords) to incentivise fishing in the more productive open coast areas
• Closure of scallop and oyster fisheries throughout the Fiordland Marine Area
• Closure of hāpuku/groper/bass fishing in the innermost parts (Internal Waters) of all fiords
• Rock lobster limits have not changed

CLICK HERE to view the new rules for the Fiordland Marine Area.