Catching crays this summer? What you need to know before you go

K?ura, rock lobster, crayfish. No matter what you call them, many kiwis love to catch and consume this delicious kaimoana, especially over the summer season when the weather is warmer, and the water is more inviting for a quick dive to catch a feed.

If you are out fishing for crays there are a few changes to the rules that came into effect on 1 July that you’ll need to know about.

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In the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Plenty regions, known as the CRA 2 fishery, the recreational daily bag limit reduced to three spiny lobsters per person per day. A new requirement to telson clip your recreationally caught crays has also been introduced. This identifies that the crays were caught recreationally and helps deter poaching activity. If you don't know what telson clipping is, please keep reading to the end of this article for further details and some useful links.

In the CRA 5 fishery in Canterbury and Marlborough, three measures that already apply to the Kaik?ura Marine Area have been extended to the whole CRA 5 area from Farewell Spit to the Waitaki River south of Timaru. These are telson clipping, an accumulation limit of 18 lobsters (or three daily bag limits), and bag and tag conditions for recreational catch. These changes are to assist with addressing illegal take in this fishery.

What is telson clipping and how is it done?

The telson is the central part of a lobster’s tail fan. Telson clipping refers to removing the last third of the telson, so that it is noticeably shorter than the other segments of the tail fan. Recreational fishers are required to cut off the last third of the telson of every legal lobster they have caught and will keep. Telson clipping can be done with a knife or scissors, and is like clipping your fingernails. Clipping the telson of a lobster marks it as recreationally caught which means it is unable to be bought, sold or bartered. Telson clipping only applies to spiny rock lobster – do not clip the tail of a packhorse lobster as this will make them immeasurable.

An instructional video on telson clipping is available on the MPI channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DiMcyGRT8Q&t=3s

To keep up-to-date with the fishing rules for your area, download the free NZ Fishing Rules Mobile App from Google Play or the Apple Store, or visit the Fisheries New Zealand website: fisheries.govt.nz/nzfishing-app

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