Help Stop Plans to Sell Marlin

There are some things that are just plain wrong. Just like the government's latest proposals to open our marlin and 19 reef fish, including red moki and boarfish, to commercial exploitation. 

We’re not standing by. We’re fighting for some of our highly valued species that are at risk, before the government hands over even more of our fish to commercial interests. 

We need your help to tell the government to keep its mitts off our marlin and reef fish. 

For more than 30 years, regulations have kept the vulnerable, slow-growing reef species off limits from commercial fishing. Those regulations have protected them from being kept and sold. Now, they and marlin could be at risk if the government recklessly pushes ahead with removing “redundant” regulations.

Apparently, the 330,000 tonnes of fish hauled in by the fishing industry every year aren’t enough to fill quota owners' pockets. So, now they’re coming after our fish. Again.

Back in 2013, the then Fisheries Minister tried to introduce a similar policy that would allow dead marlin to be kept and sold commercially. Within three days of launching our campaign “Hands off our Marlin” the public opposition was loud and clear. The Minister abandoned ship, announcing that marlin would remain off the menu for commercial fishers.

Now, the government is back for seconds. But together, with the power of your voices, we can defeat these attempts to exploit some of our favourite species.

Marlin have long been known to offer far more value as a recreational-only sport fishery. The majority of marlin caught by recreational anglers in New Zealand are tagged and released in good condition.

What’s being proposed?

The Minister for Oceans and Fisheries is pressing ahead with proposals that fulfil the Coalition agreement to  "...remove regulations that impede the productivity and enormous potential of the seafood sector." 

The Luxon-led government is seeking to give more of our fish away to the commercial fishing industry. This time they want to allow the commercial exploitation of some of our highly valued non-commercial species, including marlin and 19 reef fish species. We need your help to tell the Minister these fish are not for sale. 

In late October Fisheries NZ proposed a package of 19 changes that aim to "remove redundant regulations" applying to commercial fishing. Two of the proposals seek to allow commercial fishers to keep and sell dead marlin and 19 other reef fish species including red moki and boarfish.

Why, you may ask?

With fewer fish in our coastal waters, the industry is now turning its eyes to our fish to make a quick buck. The striped marlin and 19 reef species are currently off limits to commercial harvest and sale. The government wants to change this. If the proposals are given effect there will be nothing to stop fishers targeting these vulnerable species. Then what will be left?

What now?

Your voice matters. LegaSea has put together an easy online submission form so you can make your voice heard and oppose the proposed changes threatening to commercialise some of our favourite fish.

Click here to make a submission.

We've done it before and we will do it again. Hands off our marlin and reef fish!

We don't have to sell marlin to make a buck

Around 100,000 tourists to New Zealand fish in the sea according to a 2016 study. While the Covid pandemic may have changed some behaviours, the $177 million in annual economic activity that those visitors generated is a good reason why we would want to attract international fishers back to our shores.

Quality fishing experiences are a drawcard for both international and domestic tourists, so it makes sense to look after our prime fish species so they are available and abundant when these visitors arrive, often spending money in coastal towns. And we need fish abundance to provide for the social, economic and cultural wellbeing of all New Zealanders.

Read article here.

Background

Why are commercial fishers not permitted to keep and sell dead striped marlin?

Commercial fishers are unable to keep and sell dead striped marlin caught within New Zealand's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in order to preserve these fish as a non-commercial, recreational-only fishery. This regulation has been in place since 1991 and was negotiated between the New Zealand Sport Fishing, commercial fishers and the government at the end of the Billfish Moratorium.

What is the billfish moratorium?

In the 1980s the public and recreational fishers raised concerns about excessive numbers of striped marlin being caught by commercial fishers as non-target catch in the tuna longline fishery. In 1987 the Bay of Islands Swordfish Club alongside the New Zealand Sport Fishing Council advocated for the government to protect striped marlin from the ongoing commercial exploitation. The then Minister for Fisheries, Colin Moyle, later announced a 3-year moratorium to prohibit commercial fishers taking striped marlin for sale in the Auckland Fisheries Management Area, waters around the upper North Island.

What are the 19 reef fish species that Fisheries NZ are seeking to commercialise?

In October 2025, Fisheries NZ proposed removing regulations to allow commercial fishers to keep and sell vulnerable reef fish species including; giant & long-finned boarfish, red pigfish, butterfly & splendid perch, scarlet & sandager's wrasse, green & banded wrasse, red moki, red mullet, silver drummer, rock cod, kelpfish, black angelfish, marblefish, notch-headed marblefish, painted moi, and toadstool groper.

Why have the 19 reef fish species been protected from commercial exploitation?

In 1993 the regulation to prohibit certain reef fish from being kept and sold by commercial fishers was introduced to reduce the risk of depleting these vulnerable species. These specific reef fish species are considered more vulnerable to depletion as they are often slow-growing and long-lived. Since 1993 Fisheries NZ has done little to determine the population size or reproductive potential of these species. We do know they are more vulnerable because they have fewer offspring and use the reef as shelter against larger predators, including humans.

-    LegaSea