If you aren’t part of the solution, you could be part of the problem.
There’s a bit going on in fisheries management in New Zealand at the moment, and while it might not be the coolest thing to read about, it’s bloody important that all Kiwis understand what’s going on. The fish in our waters belong to us, the people of Aotearoa, and even though several species are already overfished, there is a raft of proposed changes to the Fisheries Act that will see less oversight on the seafood industry, less environmental considerations, and more freedom on how they take their annual catch entitlement.
Don’t just let it slide
If you’ve already glazed over with boredom reading this, hey, I get it, we want to believe that the fish stocks are being well managed. We’d rather think about our next fishing trip or what seafood we’ll be eating on the weekend; fisheries policy isn’t what we want to be thinking about. It’s this apathy that the Minister of Fisheries and the seafood industry rely on; they know people are busy working hard trying to pay the bills, and they can slide these reforms through without too much fuss. The thing is, there has been a fuss in recent times, and awareness has now spread to the general public of New Zealand. Kiwis have a good sense of right and wrong, and what is going on right now is wrong.
The One Ocean Protest, in November last year, was a great example of the people taking action. Hundreds of recreational fishers hitched on their boats and drove in protest over the Auckland Harbour Bridge, and mainstream media were all over it. We had journalists learning about how damaging the new fisheries reform will be for our environment and the people of New Zealand, and sharing that with their viewers and listeners.
A treasured memory of an evening at the beach when my son caught his first fish by himself.
I’m no superhero
With my position as a well-known fisherman and ocean lover, I’ve been getting hit up for years by people saying things like “the bottom trawlers are tearing up our local beach and taking all the fish”, “we can’t catch fish any more, they’ve all gone”, “fish is too expensive in New Zealand, why do we have to pay so much for our own fish?”. These are just a few of the thousands of complaints I’ve heard over the last twenty‑odd years, and each of these people expected me to fix the problem. Maybe they thought I would put on a superhero cape, fly out to sea and shoot laser beams from my eyes into the bottom trawlers rumbling along their local beach?
We need to turn the tide
In years gone by I would explain to the complainers that I’m trying to spread awareness about our fisheries management, I’m advocating for the environment and the people of New Zealand, I’m fundraising for LegaSea, I’m talking to the politicians and bureaucrats, and I’m pushing recreational fishers to do better by using more of the fish, taking less, using the free fish heads program, moving to measure‑based fishing comps, helping with research on stock levels, and it goes on. They would leave the conversation feeling a little better, thinking ‘Matt’s got this’. Well, here’s the thing: with all I’m doing alongside the team at LegaSea, we don’t have it under control. Yes, we’ve made a difference, and yes, we have stemmed the tide, but it’s not until the majority stand up that we can turn the tide.
So now, when concerned Kiwis reach out with their stories of depleted fish stocks, habitat destruction, or commercially dumped fish floating on the sea, I no longer tell them what I’m doing to try and make things better, I ask them what they are going to do about it, if they shrug their shoulders, I say “you need to stop complaining if you aren’t prepared to do something”.
So, what can YOU do?
I don’t want or expect people to be reading fisheries amendment bills and dealing with the dark, heavy work of fighting for fairness every day. I want you all to enjoy gathering seafood, safe in the knowledge that you are doing your bit.
Here are the things you can do:
1. Get to LegaSea.co.nz and sign up for their regular email that will keep you informed, and while you are there, sign up to be a LegaSea legend. It’s $100, which is less than most people spend on fuel for a day of fishing. Those funds enable the team to fight for the marine environment and protect your rights and the fish we all own.
2. When you go fishing, don’t take too much, and use the whole fish you take. We can’t complain about commercial fish dumping if we are throwing away heads and frames that many people would love to eat. Look up Free Fish Heads to find a fish head lover near you.
3. Share your concerns about fisheries management, not just with friends and family, but email your local MP letting them know fisheries management is an issue you will be voting on.
4. Don’t buy any fish from a supermarket or a restaurant unless it is hook‑and‑line caught; the exceptions are species that can’t be caught hook and line, like mullet and flounder.
5. On election day, remember who is trying to take our fish from us.
Don’t point the finger at the commercial fishers — the men and women who work at sea love it as much as we do. It is the system and some seafood companies that only see our fish in monetary terms that is the root cause of our fisheries mismanagement.
Going to the ocean, gathering some food, and sharing that experience with friends and family is as Kiwi as it gets, and we must protect this for our children.
The photo above with the snot-nosed kid hugging a kahawai, beaming with pride. It is my favourite pic of all time, and a treasured memory of an evening at the beach when my son caught his first fish by himself. No matter how hard I try to explain how important a healthy ocean is to us, this image truly shows what just one fish means to us.
Till next time
Keep ‘em tight
Matt