November 2025 - 242 The Fishing Paper and Hunting News
It’s not an ideal sight to start my day - an emaciated possum staggering along the roadside. Dawn is breaking, just, but it seems unaware of its environment – a marsupial zombie – it has consumed a lethal dose of cholecalciferol and is dying ever so slowly.
The possum’s kin have been luckier. They dangle from roadside trees which shudder and lurch in the strong nor-wester – their heads in kill traps and necks broken. Instant death. But look closer and you’ll see joeys in doe’s pouches – their deceased mother provides no milk and no body heat, they are too young to leave her, so they too expire slowly.
Conservation. Taking a life to save another. Kill the imports and save the natives – the trees, frogs, birds and Powlanthia snails.
The possums’ prolonged deaths are not my handiwork. I understand the need to preserve our national treasures, but the reality of conservation work is sometimes hard to witness.
Onwards, the road a writhing serpent. S’s hard left and hard right, corners tighter than tight. Potholes, washouts, corrugations. Glimpses of sea and mountains, islands and far distant rows of marine farms. And all the while the trees continue to shudder and lurch.
Then farmland, destocked, flushing green with unchecked growth. Now the views are unimpeded, but they do not impress. Low cloud scuds hurriedly by, chased by the nor’ wester. D’Urville Island and French Pass look drab, dressed in grey and khaki. I know they can do better; I have seen them in all their glory. I have hunted here in years gone by. Fished too. I’ve triumphantly pulled bright orange gurnard from aquamarine waters in the bays below. I’ve lugged black boars from gorse flowering bright yellow. I’ve seen heat haze shimmering on seas dead calm, the surface tension only
Any Way the Wind Blows
broken by frolicking dolphins. The beauty can be breath taking. But not today. Today it blows hard and cold. Today the sea is so violent, the winds so strong, that a marine farm has self-destructed. Mussel buoys bob in Okuri Bay, slowly migrating towards the shore like black sheep straggling afore a drunken shepherd.
I am working on the hillsides above the bay. I tote a backpack, a phone, a planting spade – tools of my trade. The sea speaks a language I was born to. The dull crash of huge waves upon the shore – thump’n’slide, thump’n’slide – my sailor Dad would have scarpered before this gale hit, tucking his yacht
Kim Swan
of wills. I’m determined to finish my work. She is determined to see me o .
The wind’s raw power assaults all my senses. Salt, blown o the sea below, is crusted upon my exposed skin. My eyes are bloodshot and hurting. The constant bu eting and bullying take a toll on my will to continue.
My dog Nugget, he’s terrified. The worst gusts catch the corners of his mouth, inflating his cheek pouches and ballooning his face. He’s been repeatedly lifted o his feet and he cowers, paws wide, claws scrabbling, keeping his belly close to the ground.
As day draws to a close the worst is yet to come. I must complete the
into a lee, lashing everything down before facing the ferocity.
Not I. I must turn my back on it. My job requires me to contour, to circle, little high, little low. I run logger’s tape, dot pink paint, count tiny trees, enter details on my phone. Hour upon hour and all the while the gale worsens. I don’t stop for lunch. And I don’t dare stop to pee, that would be messy in more ways than one. Morning progresses to afternoon. Mother Nature and I are in a clash
The Fishing Paper & Hunting News
skyline section - the exposed ridge - it’s tough going up here. The gale shrieks and roars, hurling itself over the crest. I hold my spade tight as it threatens to fly away, weightless as a feather.
Nugget is crawling in my wake when a mighty and sustained blast slams us against a wire-netting sheep fence. Here we’re stuck, forced bodily against the unforgiving mesh like a whale and a dog fish, netted, and no longer able to fight
the good fight. Safety is so close. The embankment above the road will shelter us if only we can get there. Metre by metre I pull myself forward, white knuckles grasping the wire, clothing vibrating like a sky diver’s suit, the dog buckled about my feet. Its sorta ridiculously funny and sorta ridiculously frightening. The things I do to make a dollar! When the battle is won and the day is done, I unerringly find my way southwards, scooting through the multitude of French Pass Road’s S bends and ignoring the tailwind as it blows me from Marlborough Sounds to the snow-studded high-country hills of home.
Home. Where I can slide a familiar rifle stock from the gun safe in the pre-dawn dark of the following day. No orange gurnard here, no green-lipped mussels nor blue cod either. Where the only salt on my skin comes from within. Where I can complain that the weather predictions are ‘bollocks’ because the slight caress of a breeze on my cheek is from the south and not the west. Yup, the forecast wind direction is wrong, again. A skylark lifts o the ground, climbing steeply towards the morning sun. He sings an ecstatic song proclaiming to all and sundry that this is his home too. His territory. Tiny wings beat at 600 beats per minute, but the songster’s rhapsody never falters. The lark’s exuberance is contagious, mornings are for celebrating – “Any way the wind blows doesn’t really matter, to me”. My limbs beat a slower tattoo. My hearty inhale and exhale preclude rhapsody, but I am climbing steeply too. For I have spied with my stillbloodshot-eyes venison and pork aplenty. West or south, gale or caress, anabatic or katabatic, the wind is beyond my control – it’s up to me to adapt - and adapt I most certainly can do!
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It was a chilly but really pretty Saturday morning in Nelson Bay. I told my brother we wouldn’t go fishing without him while he was away at camp. After all, fishing isn’t as fun without him! But Dad had other ideas. Or maybe it was the other way around. We’re still laughing about that.
The water was a bit rough and cold sprays kept hitting the boat. At first, we didn’t catch much except for lots of spiny dogfish. They were twisting and spinning around, and I kept thinking, “Are these fish just messing with us?” We joked a lot and tried not to let our fingers get too frozen.
After ages of catching nothing but spiny dogfish and waiting quietly, my rod suddenly bent hard. I thought it was another spiny dogfish. But when I started reeling it in, I realized it was something way bigger. Up came a beautiful snapper! She was a female and absolutely gorgeous.
Snapped in Nelson Bay
I couldn’t believe it. Dad quickly Ikejime’d the snapper, a technique he had learned from one of Dan Govier’s presentations. It was kind of amazing to watch him do it, like magic! I felt proud and excited all at the same time. On the way back to the ramp, we laughed a lot and kept talking about how many spiny dogfish we’d caught before the snapper showed up. It made the whole morning feel like an adventure, not just about catching a fish.
By the time we got back, the sun was shining, the water was sparkling, and our chilly, bumpy morning had turned into one of the best fishing trips ever. I can’t wait to tell my brother all about it. He’ll never let us forget that he missed the snapper, and Dad looked like a fishing ninja doing his Ikejime trick. Nelson Bay really delivered that morning cold, rough, full of spinny dogfish, and finished with a snapper we’ll remember forever. Not to bad for October!
Meet Mumford Orio Stewart
Our family Burmese cat. He only eats rabbit, hare with a few cat biscuits for a bit of variety.
Mumford is the reason I hunt small game most weekends and often in the evening after dinner in the daylight-saving months.
The majority of rabbit he eats is bow hunted along with some hare. But I usually have to travel to one of the farms in our greater district that I have access to for the hares; not many around us. I take the .22 and harvest about 16 or 20 in an evening, hang them in the chiller for the remainder of the night and take the legs and back steaks o in the morning before the day heats up.
Mumford is an amazing hunter; he is also a ‘contained ‘ cat. If we had him free ranging, we would have very little wildlife on our property or any of our neighbours.
At night he stays inside with us and in the morning, he chooses whether he goes and sleeps in his bean bag upstairs or goes to his large den outside. It looks more like a lion’s
Feed the Lion
Kelby Stewart
enclosure than a cat’s den. Every afternoon he has a walk on a long lead, about 6m long, which allows him to get his hunting fix. He catches bunnies, rats, mice and the odd stoat while on his lead. Every rabbit hole is logged in his GPS, and he checks them all out to see which ones have the most activity or movement, often sitting outside the entrance listening to noises down the burrow.
Some days I will grab my bow after work and meet up with Mumford and my wife who usually walks him and shoots a bunny for him, while he watches. He runs towards the bunny as soon as I release the arrow and grabs the rabbit. Then he is o , carrying the rabbit in his mouth, no matter how big it is. Often it is a 200m walk back to his den. He stops every 60 or 70m for a quick breather then he is o again. Sometimes he doesn’t give
Stewart Island Dreams
After a rough end to 2023, when Ben and I were invited to go hunting on Stewart island in March of 24, we didn’t hesitate to say yes.
With it being a good time of year for chamois we also thought why not accomplish my goal of shooting my first chamois with the bow while we were at it.
A couple of weeks prior Ben went to scope out spot x and had a great weekend, he even caught the back end of a big fella as he took o up the hill.
March rolled around and it was my turn. We arrived at spot x and started walking with head torches on. As daylight broke we spotted a wee chamois doe feeding down low. I knocked an arrow and waited with heart pounding and hands shaking for a shot to present itself. She teased me for a while then wandered o not to be seen again. No matter, we carried on.
Not far from where Ben had his luck the weeks prior I saw a doe and kid skip o up the hill but Ben said “don’t worry babe, they would have been too high up the face to take a shot at anyway”. I thought to myself, if they were feeding on that bush it would have been perfect, and all of a sudden a small section of bush started shaking, I'm
me a chance to retrieve my arrow if it’s still in the rabbit.
Mumford knows the di erence between fresh and frozen meat. If I bring fresh meat to him or drop a fresh bunny into his den, he has to come and thank me before he has a bite.
Because of his clean raw diet, the vet’s always comment on how good his teeth and general health is. Full of personality.
thinking it was the wind I still froze and watched intently before it happened again. “That’s not the wind” I thought as I signaled Ben over, right in time to see a little chamois nose
We snuck into position as the big buck from 2 weeks ago busted out from the bushes, knowing chamois
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can’t help but look back I knew he would give me one chance and one chance only. Ben said “32 yards”, I drew back, levelled my bow, took a deep breath and thought “this is your chance, send it”. My arrow hit and he leapt into the air while Ben yelled “watch it, watch it, you’ve just shot a monster”. With crashing in the bushes and hooves in the air, we decided it was safe to go check him out. There was no ground shrinkage this time and I was over the moon to have shot such a magnificent animal as my first chamois with the bow.
I carried him out to the truck, and raced o to a mates place where after a quick measure, we decided he was definitely going on the wall. While on Stewart island, our friend took the head to be o cially scored, at 27 1/2 Douglas he came in second in the NZBHS record books!
The trip was already made!
poke out from between the leaves. Arrow on!
Ben Dick
Hanging Out with Retired Fisherman Norm Hawler
There’s an old song of my vintage era which I think is entitled “the things you do for love”. I have been very mindful of that during the school holidays because the grandkids have descended on my place down the Bay and chaos has pretty much ensued.
The first lot rock up and their mother can’t get shot of them quickly enough. Arguments over which room they get and which bed they sleep in, then the first raid on the fridge and complaints that there is no ‘V’ – whatever that is. Then the real battle – hey Pops, what is the wifi password. Pops indeed you little so and so’s and sorry lads the wifi is on the fritz.
Well that news goes down well –not. The reaction is something you might expect if someone was told they had to lose a leg and within ten minutes one of the delightful progeny of the fruit of my loins announces that he has to be taken home to town – the teenager reckons that there is nothing to do out here if there is no wifi. The younger brother nods furiously in agreement.
And all my initial e orts to itemise in some detail what activities can be
pursued in the Bay, around the Bay and adjacent to the Bay are shouted down – no howled down because they are still loudly lamenting the absence of wifi.
But I am patient, I don’t overreact, I just speak quietly and remind them of all the fun they could have fishing, swimming, kayaking, climbing etc etc and all I hear back is that there is no wifi. Which of course is not entirely truthful – I was the first in the Bay to have satellite internet and I use it regularly. But I know these kids –let them log on and that’s all they will do for the duration of their
stay.
Rather than give in too soon I decided to make them work for it and told them that the feeder cable on the hill above the Bay had come loose in a storm and if they walked up the hill – a big hill – and fixed it, internet might be restored. I o ered the older bloke that he could take one of my guns with him – you never know what you might come across in the bush up the back. O they went, single file, moaning and complaining – but at least they were out and about in the fresh air not sprawled all across my living room buried in a screen.
Wild food recipes with Marcus
About an hour later I heard a shot. Another thirty minutes and two very dirty blood spattered boys appear at the back gate dragging the carcass of a good sized wild pig. Stacks of them up there Pops, can we have a feed and then we are going back for another one. That’s a no from me boys because you don’t kill any more than you can eat. They had a quick feed and I sent them o down the rocks to haul my craypot in – lobsters for dinner tonight and a pork roast tomorrow was my encouragement.
An hour later two laughing, wet boys appear in the front yard, one of them still wrestling the biggest lobster that I think has ever come out of my wire pot. They had thrown the rest back – can’t kill what you can’t eat they said. Fair enough. Still no wifi for them tonight and probably won’t be any tomorrow either. Both boys were cleaned up sitting at the table tearing legs o their lobster catch telling and retelling the day’s adventures with wild pigs and big lobsters and making plans for more of the same in the morning. That is what growing up needs to be about eh. The real world and real things.
Asian Raw Asparagus Salad with BBQ Rabbit
A zesty refreshing seasonal salad paired with succulent rabbit
Mix together, cover and leave in fridge for 3 hours
Rabbit
Skin and remove bone of rear legs.
Take the meat and brine overnight in 2 cups of water to 2
Tbsp of plain salt (not iodised).
Pat dry and cover in oil and The Original Smoke & Spice Co SPG Seasoning.
Grill on a hot BBQ until medium rare.
Let rest and serve with salad - a stunningly simple and delicious dish that puts those pesky bunnies to good use.
If you are paying attention to mainstream media and the main social media channels you would know that there is a lot happening in the fisheries space in New Zealand. It is no real surprise to the commercial sector and definitely not to commercial trawl and set-net
DIDN’T SEE IT COMING?
Rock lobster industry commentator Daryl Sykes shares his thoughts about new legislative restrictions on fishing in the Auckland region – and elsewhere.
operators that those who would sway the weight of public opinion and political response appear to be winning the repression of the inshore fishing industry in the North Island at least.
However , recent Government decisions have invoked the wrath
of the recreational fishing sector, the environment and conservation sector and a covey of self-appointed conservation law experts because the primary target for their criticism and rebuke was and still is commercial fishing. Commercial fishing continues in spite of them –albeit with greater constraints and costs in every year.
In October 2025 the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act 2025 came into force and multiple new marine protection areas will be established. Two existing marine reserves (Cape Rodney – Okakari Point Marine Reserve, and Te Whanganui-o-Hei/ Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve) will be extended.
DIDN’T SEE IT COMING?cont
Twelve “High Protection Areas” (HPAs) where commercial and recreational fishing is generally prohibited will be established (though customary Māori non-commercial fishing with authorisation may still occur). The ‘Gulf Plan’ is rounded o by the creation of five “Seafloor Protection Areas” (SPAs) where bottom-contact fishing methods (trawling, dredging) are banned, while lower-impact fishing (e.g., line, diving) is allowed.
The Hauraki Gulf Fisheries Plan first approved in August 2023 is the first area-based fisheries plan to be implemented under the Fisheries Act 1996. This plan commits to an “ecosystem-based” approach to fishery management in the Gulf: managing stocks in the context of habitat, species interactions, and human pressures rather than treating each fish species in isolation.
The Gulf Plan has been loudly criticised for establishing trawl corridors / access zones where bottom trawling and Danish seining would be allowed in limited areas, and completely banned elsewhere. Many conservation-minded groups believe the plan does not go far enough. For example: the Hauraki Gulf Alliance (a coalition of environmental, recreational fishing and community groups) argued that no option for a full ban on bottom trawling had been implemented — the “Option Zero” they wanted.
Howls of complaint were directed at Conservation Minister Tama Potaka when he rejected warnings from o cials over allowing some commercial fishers to operate in protected areas of the Hauraki Gulf. The complaints were irrational given that Potaka’s decisions allow a limited number of operators to fish in two of the twelve High Protection Areas (HPAs) in March to August only. Critics (Hauraki Gulf Forum, Greenpeace Aotearoa, Forest & Bird) contend that allowing any commercial activity inside HPAs undermines the intent of “high protection” and sets a precedent for future exemptions. So their agendas are revealed as being “no fishing” rather than well managed
conservation.
That small Ministerial concession to five or six artisnal commercial fishing operations allowed to land kahawai, grey mullet, and/ or trevally initially seemed to have overshadowed the far more extensive loss of recreational fishing
take is a separate carve-out). So within the extensive boundaries of the Hauraki Gulf the recreational and commercial sectors both take a hit – both are excluded from the HPAs, both will need to modify their activities within SPAs. The general prohibition on fishing in HPAs will have a significant impact
representation and participation. The recreational interests watching on repeatedly made the mistake of focusing on the ‘ban commercial fishing’ rhetoric and failed to notice or understand that the conservation lobby regards dead fish as being dead fish no matter who might have killed them.
opportunity that will occur across the Gulf.
Additionally, the continued attack on commercial fishing also stifled public discussion of the merits or otherwise of allowing customary non-commercial fishing in High Protection Areas “… with a written authorisation from a tangata kaitiaki … for a customary purpose such as a hui or tangi.” The explanatory note to the new Act says the protection framework will “support Māori cultural knowledge and learning, as well as a cultural guardianship role in the marine area.” The role is not extended to other sectors.
The recreational fishing sector is now waking up to what will be lost to them. The initial social media reaction was loud but ill-informed criticism of commercial fishing being allowed in HPAs, then more recently the reality appears to have dawned as to the extent of recreational fishing prohibitions — you cannot take seafood by rod, line, dive, hand-collect, or any other recreational method in those HPAs (customary non-commercial
on the recreational sector and on the established recreational charter fishing industry – the HPAs are scattered across the Gulf in locations which have historically been recreational fishing grounds of importance to local residents as well as to the hordes of holiday makers who descend on the Gulf every summer.
From November this year e ort displacement will be immense – especially o the Coromandel coastline – and that reality has bitten to the extent that social media contains reports of planned protest blockades of the Auckland inner harbour and urges petitions to local MPs, and to the current Ministers of Conservation and Fisheries. There are also calls for mass noncompliance with the new fishing prohibitions.
None of which will change the situation – the process which led to the implementation of the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana Marine Protection Act can be traced back to 2012 and over time has incorporated sector group
There should be a lesson in the outcome. Over many years the strident anti-commercial fishing lobby has relied on exaggeration, hyperbole and screeds of misinformation as a means to publicly discredit and condemn commercial fishing, the New Zealand fisheries management regime, and the reputation of New Zealand seafood in key export markets. The inshore fishing industry continues to labour under the burden of negativity and soon the recreational fishing sector in the Auckland region will be getting a taste of just how di cult that can be.
Recreational interests in the Bay of Plenty should have been sharing with their Auckland colleagues their own experiences of being locked out of the Motiti Protection Area. They blinked and they missed it. It is happening again in Northland –and will happen elsewhere. Step by step, inch by inch, fishing access and opportunity are being lost.
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On the 17th of September, the NZ IPSC team boarded Singapore Airlines in both Christchurch and Auckland for the first of two flights to South Africa. (Note: the South Island crew was the larger of the two groups.) It was a long trip basically two 11-hour flights with a long layover in Singapore. Unfortunately, things didn’t go so well for me as I ended up catching a bug, and a few others did too. So, to be fair, it wasn’t a great start to our journey, especially with the competition starting in just a few days. A tough start, but shit happens, we just had to do our best. I often get asked how we get our firearms to these competitions, and the answer is by lots of paperwork. We need export and import permits for both New Zealand and South Africa. The FSA handled our end smoothly, but the South African side wasn’t quite as helpful or e cient. While most of us got our firearms without too much trouble, four were still missing when the team arrived. This meant extra paperwork at the airport, and the police had to hold on to those firearms temporarily. It wasn’t just us; many other teams were in the same situation. I spoke with the top Aussie shooter, and he was in the same boat. He wasn’t happy at all, and you could see why, missing several days of practice isn’t ideal. He still came in 4th place,
World Shoot 2025 - Recap
though, so he clearly managed well once his pistols were released. Thankfully, everything was sorted before the opening ceremony and the main match, which made everyone much happier.
We had five teams of four, each shooting a di erent style of pistol, which brings unique challenges since we all run the same courses of fire. That’s standard practice, everyone gets the same briefing on what’s required, start position, loaded/unloaded condition, etc.
There were around 1,800 competitors of all ages and both genders. This sport really is one of the most inclusive.
I was part of the Open team, and we were squadded with the
The “one” day fresh and saltwater species challenge!
Some days on the water just have that spark. We set ourselves a challenge to catch both freshwater and saltwater species in one day. Trout, moki, kahawai, and red cod.
The morning began riverside, casting softbaits through glassy runs.
Brown trout hit hard and leapt clear of the water, the perfect start!
With the sun rising, we packed up and swapped fresh for salt air, heading to the coast.
Ocean Beach was rough and windy, but that’s when moki love to feed. A chunk of mussel bait did the trick!
A solid moki bending the rod like a bow. Before I could rebait, a kahawai stormed through the surf, taking the second rod and tearing line o the spool.
Later, I cast a bait out deeper, and the day’s final box was ticked! A chunky red cod from the depths.
Four species, one day, fresh and salt.
Germans, meaning eight of us in the same group. The shooting order rotated so everyone had a turn going first. We had 30 stages total, shooting six per day over five days, with one rest day in between. Our squad shot three days, then had a break day, followed by the final two days. Each shooting session was about 2.5 hours long and included a mix of 3 small, 2 medium, and 1 large stage. Small stages have a maximum of 12 rounds, medium 24, and large 32. You can fire more if needed, but it costs time, and speed is everything.
All in all, the NZ team did very well, and we can be proud of the e ort put in. For a number of members, this was their first World
Bait
Shoot, and these matches are a real mental test. Competing as one of 1,800 shooters is a completely di erent experience from the sub200 fields we’re used to in NZ nationals. At home, we know our competition; over there, everyone is world-class, and even small mistakes are costly in both points and placement.
These events are a fantastic learning opportunity, not only for those lucky enough to attend but also for their home clubs and the wider shooting community. We come back with a new understanding of how things are done in other countries and by some of the best shooters in the world.
The perfect reminder that New Zealand’s fishing is as diverse as it is addictive.
How lucky are we to have this amazing resource at our fingertips.
I encourage all fishos to partake in both fresh and saltwater fishing.
Each has its own challenges and end up taking you to unique interesting places.
Tightlines!
seafood@solander.com
Johnny Tightlines
Along with a reduction to commercial catch limits, the daily recreational catch limits for some blue cod fisheries have recently been lowered to ensure sustainability of these fisheries. Changes to these recreational limits will take e ect in early December.
“The Southland and South Otago recreational daily limit has been reduced from fifteen to ten blue cod per fisher per day, and the West Coast of Wellington to Taranaki blue cod daily limit is now two per fisher per day, " says Emma Taylor, Director of Fisheries Management at Fisheries New Zealand.
“These new limits, alongside reductions to commercial catch limits (TACCs), will ensure these popular fisheries have a chance to recover to healthy levels.”
“Independent science and reports from these areas suggest that blue cod numbers have declined in recent years, with imbalanced ratios of male to female fish creating concerns about reduced spawning success and potential overfishing. Blue cod can change sex from female to male in response to removal of large males."
In addition to the new daily catch limits, when out fishing you can do your part to help the recovery of these blue cod fisheries by fishing
A group of new graduate Fishery O cers unexpectedly caught a pair of poachers while wrapping up their training.
The 10 new Fishery O cers formally graduated on October 16 at an event with the Oceans and Fisheries Minister, Shane Jones.
Fisheries New Zealand Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham says the newly warranted o cers wasted no time in getting to work.
“The new Fishery O cers were finishing up some training and part of that was a mock exercise where they were tasked with catching some poachers to practice their new skills.
“While carrying out their mock exercise, they intercepted two real pāua poachers during a catch inspection. At the time they thought it was all part of the exercise but in fact it was a real-life situation on the sea near Eastbourne in the Wellington Harbour, which they realised when the fishers had actual pāua in their catch bag – not empty shells which were used for the mock exercise.
responsibly using the following tips: When fishing, the most e ective way to avoid release mortality is to avoid catching fish you don’t want: Avoid catching small blue cod by using 6/0 or larger circle hooks, which also minimise the risk of gut hooking.
If you’re catching mostly undersize fish in a spot, or blue cod once you’ve caught your daily limit, it’s time to move on.
Avoid unintentionally catching blue cod ; think about what species you are targeting, where you might find them, and what gear you need. Before you head out ask your local fishing
supplies store for advice. Handling and release: Keep fish you want to release in the water while removing the hook if possible, as this greatly reduces stress and damage. If you need to bring fish onboard, use a knotless or rubber mesh net, supporting the fish at all times. Never lift gut hooked fish by the line. When handling a fish you’re going to release, wet your hands or wear wet rubber gloves, and place it on a soft, wet, and shady surface to remove the hook. Avoid tightly gripping the gill or gut area and try to minimise the time out of water.
Gently push the hook back the way it came, using pliers if you need a better grip. Barbless hooks make removing the hook much easier and reduce damage. Always cut the line for guthooked fish, cutting as close as possible to the mouth. Return fish to the sea gently, head first, and from as close to the water as you can. Avoid predation of your released fish by seabirds by using a downpipe, a descender weight, or by distracting birds with a splash on the other side of the boat. The most e ective strategy is to move on when predators turn up. Keeping your boat clean of bait scraps, fish waste, and other attractants can also help. By following best handling practices you can give unwanted fish the best chance to survive and contribute to future spawning, making a real di erence for tomorrow’s fishery. For more information you can check out the responsible fishing guidelines on the Fisheries New Zealand website: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/ responsiblefishing. The best way to stay on top of the daily limit and other rules for the area you’re fishing in is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app.
training
“The pāua poachers had 48 pāua and 46 of the shellfish were undersize and they are likely to be prosecuted.”
The new Fishery O cers come from a wide range of backgrounds, including the Army, Navy, Police, a diving instructor, firefighting, a ranger, farming, a marine mechanic and chef. They’ll be deployed in regions across the country, from Auckland to Invercargill.
“They’ve all had a lot of life experience which will be beneficial to their new roles where they’ll be interacting with both recreational and commercial fishers daily.”
“A lot of their work includes preventing people from o ending, including educating fishers on the rules and regulations.
Fishery O cers are people in your community, and you’ll regularly see them on wharves, along beaches,
and on patrol vessels at sea.”
“They join the 100 full time and about 180 Honorary Fishery O cers already stationed around the country,” says Steve Ham.
The Fishery O cer graduates do a further 12 months of on-the-job training to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed on the front line. This is complimented by further courses to gain fisheries sector specific knowledge.
Fishery O cers have been patrolling the country for more than 60 years. Each year they do thousands of catch and boat inspections in both the recreational and commercial sectors.
MPI encourages people to report suspected illegal activity through the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224)
Download the free NZ Fishing Rules Mobile App for the latest rules in the area you intend to fish, including areas that are closed and gear restrictions for fishing.
Game Fishing off the Coast Coastlines
That is the West Coast of course,
The Coast is enjoying yet another attraction for visitors –game fishing,
Over the 2nd to last weekend of Winter a large number of sizable boats appeared at the ramp in Greymouth for a big game fishing competition.
They launched and parked in the area provided beside the northern end of the Cobden Bridge, before heading down the Grey river, out over the bar, towards the deep, dark depths of the Hokitika Trench, some sixty plus kilometres o the coast. Over a period of 8 years, the Greymouth Boating Club has put in the hard yards to transform the area, including the ramp and steps to a landing jetty, and in 2023, with a small grant from the council’s contestable fund, they also installed a solar light. The ramp and parking space has not only helped boost the district’s economy, but it has also provided facilities for local boating and fishing enthusiasts.
Greymouth Boating Club as lead developers for the facilities at the ramp and surrounding features, have installed noticeboards with safety information and also they make it plain that while the ramp is a free community facility, users can make a donation for its upkeep. The weekend was supported by Greymouth Boating Club, Fishermans Loft, Black Magic Tackle, Shimano Fishing New Zealand and Marine Intel. The main target species was blue fin tuna, but they also hooked up with a couple of others, the standouts being a swordfish and the odd mako. Congratulations to Bill who landed a one hundred and forty point 4 kg swordfish. Bill was fishing with his grandson Will and his friend Gri – a tight-knit crew who put in a serious e ort. After a full day trolling, they anchored up overnight with one always on watch. At 5am, co ee in hand, the action began. By 5:20am
they were hooked into something massive that just wanted to dive into the deep. The fight was brutal – 3.5 hours of back-and-forth, the harness snapping after just 30 minutes. The boys had to take turns winding in by hand, so determination and teamwork got the job done. Bill built his Image boat to spend quality time with his grandsons and make unforgettable memories out on the water. His craft is a 2019 Image 8.75 m Fishmaster, powered by a 350hp Suzuki Marine NZ outboard.
His boat is aptly named “Bill’s Dream” and over this game fishing weekend, the dream became reality. The bluefin hang around the hoki boats and grab what they can as the nets are hauled, so boats targeting bluefin must also be in proximity to them, and troll at a depth of around 40 odd metres, to get the chance of a hook up. Over the weekend, some half a dozen tuna were boated, ranging from 77 kg to 103.9kg along with the swordie at 140.4kg.
Ivan Wilson
Weather conditions were stable for the visiting fishos, making access to the Tasman via the Grey river bar a little less challenging, but at times it can be downright hair raising and for anything less than a large commercial boat, not worth attempting.
The rules for the event were fairly straightforward with the biggest tuna each day winning $1500 (gilled & gutted) Hours for the Greymouth “Uno cial O cial” Weigh Station at the Cobden Ramp were fixed as Saturday: 9am-4pm and Sunday: 9am-2pm. Weigh-in was a typically creative, Coast setup, with the use of a telehandler. One thing that was noticeable was that few of the boats seemed to have auxilliary motors and were relying on the dependability of their large outboards. While the visiting fishos were undoubtably experienced, a seasoned, local, commercial fisherman, plus a former naval man, both observed that while the motor might be in top order, it only takes a problem with the fuel to cause trouble. A weather change can make things even more serious, and currently Greymouth doesn’t have Coastguard services.
However on the up side, there were no calamities and judging by the demeanour of returning fishos, every one enjoyed the event.
Night Vision, is it still useful? Ants Corke
When we first became the New Zealand distributor for PulsarYukon in 2011, night vision was the only option available for stealthy night hunting until Pulsar launched their first thermal imager, the Pulsar Quantum HD38 in 2013.
During this early period our range of night vision included monoculars, binoculars, goggles and riflescopes, all of which used Image Intensifier Tubes (IIT), with the exception of the Pulsar Digisight N550, which was the World’s first digital night vision riflescope and the start of a long line of high-performance successors. 2011: stepping into darkness
My first night vision hunting experiences were shooting rabbits in a vineyard in the Tasman district. I had been shooting during daylight which made them very spooky, choosing to run at the first hint of danger. The Yukon Sentinel Gen1 night vision riflescope that I mounted onto my .22LR BRNO was a massive game changer. What became immediately apparent with night vision was how easily animals could be approached in total darkness. With a stealthy upwind approach, I could approach to 20m or less, though it was important not to break the skyline. I settled on 30m as the ideal night vision shooting distance for a guaranteed headshot from the shoulder. Longer distance shots were taken using trees and fenceposts as a rest.
I soon swapped my scope onto a suppressed .22 Webley PCP that greatly reduced the sound of the projectile impacting target and ground. This set-up was so quite that after taking a shot, other rabbits in the group would sit up in their alert position, only to continue feeding after their dead comrade had stopped kicking, totally oblivious to the fate that awaited them. It was e ective beyond my wildest expectations.
At first, I would use my night vision riflescope to spot and shoot, lifting the rifle to scan down each row of vines in turn. Though this worked well, tired arms are not good for taking steady shots. I next opted to use a Yukon Spartan 3x42 Gen1 night vision monocular, enabling easy spotting while keeping the rifle slinged to my shoulder. The Spartan monocular could show-up rabbits eye shine at around 150m,
A Pulsar Axion XQ19 Compact thermal monocular ($1899.00) is used for spotting and the Pulsar Digisight LRF N455 night vision riflescope ($1899.00) for ranging and shooting. This is a very a ordable and modern high-performance set-up that is ideal for hunting large and small animals.
perfect for vineyards, orchards and farmland. I progressed to better Pulsar and Yukon night vision optics as they became available, though I know that the old kit would work just as well today.
2013: dawn of mainstream thermal imaging
The next great advancement was in 2013 when Pulsar launched the Quantum HD38 hand-held thermal. Spotting groups of rabbits at great distance, then approaching with my night vision scoped rifle enabled me to target areas with the greatest rabbit density. The thermal also had the advantage of being able to clearly check background safety, that was more di cult with IR
Choosing a set-up that works
A hand-held thermal imager and night vision riflescope is a very e ective combination. I have experience with many night vision and thermal optics, all of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. The choice comes down to budget, terrain and distance. Very few image intensifier riflescopes are now available, having been largely replaced by digital devices, many of which are not capable of decent low light performance because of the use of colour sensors.
illuminated night vision.
Pulsar launched their first thermal riflescope in 2014, the Pulsar Apex XQ38, that was ideal for shooting at longer ranges but with the limitation that distance requires a rest to ensure a clean kill. For walking and shooting freehand in vineyards, orchards and farm paddocks, a thermal riflescope and a night vision riflescope yield similar results due to the shorter distance required to cleanly place a shot, though night vision requires a clear line of sight. While a thermal spotter is essential, the choice of riflescope is more flexible.
A true digital night vision riflescope should have a monochrome sensor that amplifies light, has a high sensitivity to near infrared light and forms a clear image with little or no additional infrared. Monochrome sensors use all pixels to form the image, while a colour sensor only uses 25% of its pixels (red only) at night. Colour pixels are also less sensitive to longer wave infrared and have a smaller surface area for gathering light. Colour sensors are great for daytime use but poor at night. The biggest investment is choosing a thermal monocular that provides su cient target detail for the distance at which it is used. For general use on farm paddocks, orchards and vineyards, a wide field-of-view is important, especially when walking around and spotting. Small distant blobs can be identified by how they move, for instance, rabbits move in short jerks while hedgehogs move in straight lines. Larger animals like pigs and deer are easier to identify because of their size. New thermal owners should spend time observing di erent animals to gain essential knowledge about animal movement, behaviour and identification capability.
The choice of night vision riflescope is more down to budget. All Pulsar and Yukon night vision riflescopes that I have used are suitable for the distances that I would normally shoot at night. A rabbit at 50m or a pig at 100m is really the maximum distance that I would shoot in darkness from the shoulder, because there is plenty of time to observe, approach and ensure that the shot is safe.
Pulsar and Yukon digital night vision riflescopes are still the best and are available at www. pulsarthermal.co.nz
A pile of over 40 rabbits that I shot on a farm in 2013 in under 2 hours. The .22 PCP air rifle and Yukon Sentinel 3x60 Gen1 scope are a formidable combination in starlight with a moderate headwind.
The Pulsar Oryx LRF XG35 sets a new standard in high performance, compact thermal imaging.
Outstanding features include:
• Accurate 1500m laser rangefinder
• Lynred ATTO640 sensor (MIL-STD 883/810)
• Image stabilisation
• Fast 35mm germanium objective lens
• Precision focus wheel for single-handed use
• Fully protected quick-change battery pack
• Internal back-up battery
• Durable IP67 fully waterproof Mg-alloy body.
Taking too many pipi, pāua, kina, oysters, undersize snapper, crayfish, prohibited toheroa and black-market sales, cost fishers thousands of dollars in fines
People who took too much shellfish, harvested prohibited toheroa, and sold recreationally caught seafood have been handed large fines by the courts over the last couple of months.
“People who choose to ignore the fishing rules need to know there will be consequences. Our job is to protect fishing resources so that everyone can enjoy the opportunity to put fresh kaimoana on the dinner table,” says Fisheries New Zealand’s Director of Fisheries Compliance, Steve Ham.
The following are a range of cases that went before the courts between August and September this year.
A 39-year-old Whangarei man was fined $800 in the Whangarei District Court for taking 502 pipi. The man had his catch inspected by a Fishery O cer in November last year. The daily limit per person for taking pipi in this area is 150.
A 34-year-old Papatoetoe man was ordered to do 120 hours community work for his part in taking 205 undersize pāua from Tauroa Point in February this year. A 33-year-old man and a 24-year-old man from Kaitaia were each fined $2000 for their part in taking the pāua. The
daily limit in this area per person is 10 at a minimum size of 125mm. The three men were sentenced in the Kaitaia District Court.
A 40-year-old Wellington man was fined $2000 in the Wellington District Court for taking 39 pāua from the South Coast. 20 of the shellfish were undersize. The man had his catch inspected by a fishery o cer in February this year. The daily limit per pāua gatherer is 5 with a minimum legal size of 125mm.
A 41-year-old Invercargill woman was fined $3900 for her part in selling recreationally caught kina. Fishery O cers found that between September 2023 and January 2024, she sold 3.9kg of kina taken from Southland waters. Unless a person has commercial rights, it is illegal to sell recreationally caught seafood.
A 51-year-old Porirua man has been fined $4000 in the Porirua District Court for sending recreationally caught kina to Auckland to sell on the black market. Fishery O cers discovered the o ending in November 2024. The kina was being sold in punnets for between $20 and $25.
A 38-year-old Whangarei man was fined $1800 in the Dargaville District Court for taking 50 toheroa shellfish from Ripiro beach area. The man was stopped by fishery o cers in April 2024 and refused to cooperate. Taking toheroa shellfish is a prohibited activity throughout
the country.
A 44-year-old Southland man was fined $1500 in the Invercargill District Court for selling recreationally caught crayfish and oysters. The man was under investigation by Fishery O cers in 2023, with evidence of sales found through electronic records. He was found to have sold or attempted to sell 24 crayfish and 112 dredge oysters. It is illegal to sell recreationally caught seafood.
A 42-year-old Southland man has been ordered to do 175 hours of community work by the Invercargill District Court. The man had been selling recreationally caught kina and had been under investigation by Fishery O cers. In 2023 and electronic records established that he was selling the seafood.
A 28-year-old Auckland man was fined $750 in the Manukau District Court for his part in taking 280 whelks and 218 cats eyes shellfish. The man and two others were stopped by Fishery O cers in June last year at Te Pene beach. A person gathering these shellfish is allowed a combined daily limit of 50 cat eyes and whelks. The other two defendants were fined the same amount in August 2025.
A 54-year-old Lower Hutt man was fined $2250 in the Hutt Valley District Court for taking 30 pāua and 151 kina from Red Rocks on the south coast of Wellington. The man
was stopped by Fishery O cers and had his catch inspected in November last year. The daily legal limit per person for pāua is 5 at a minimum size of 125mm. For kina, the daily allowance is 50 per person.
A 24-year-old Tauranga man has been fined $1250 in the Tauranga District Court for taking two undersize snapper with an illegal set net and providing false personal details to a fishery o cer. The man was stopped at Pilot Bay in January 2024.
“If you’re unsure of the fishing rules in the area you plan to fish, get the most up-to-date fishing rules by downloading the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app. It will also work if you’re fishing in an area with limited mobile coverage,” says Mr Ham.
Fisheries New Zealand encourages people to report suspected illegal activity to the ministry’s 0800 4 POACHER number (0800 476 224).
