Fishery officers will be stepping up pressure on recreational fishers who break rules for set nets during summer.

Most recreational fishers follow the rules and the overall compliance rate throughout the country sits at 94%, but set nets that don’t meet regulations remain a problem.

Need to know rules

Fisheries New Zealand regional manager north, Andre Espinoza, said there are areas around the country that are closed or have restrictions on set netting – and fishers need to know and understand this as part of their planning or face the cost of not doing so.

“In October we successfully prosecuted two men who broke every rule possible, including set netting in a prohibition area, no marked surface floats, using poles or stakes to attach it to the seafloor and using a set net that was too close to another set net. This cost them $4500,” Espinoza said.

Protect sustainability

“Our job is to protect the sustainability of our shared fisheries and help ensure protected species are not harmed by fishing activity. We take this type of offending very seriously.”

Espinoza said Fisheries New Zealand officers had heard all the excuses – such as not knowing rules like marking surface floats with your name and contact, or that staking nets to the seafloor is prohibited.

“There are restrictions around length and size of the set net too and they cannot be blocking a channel,” Espinoza said.

“We often recover illegal set nets, and we will hold people to account who break these important rules.”

Download the app

Espinoza said one key thing people can do before going fishing is to download the free NZ Fishing Rules mobile app “because it will provide you with the latest rules for the area you intend to fish – including closures and gear restrictions”.

The NZ Fishing Rules mobile app is available at: www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/nz-fishing-rules-app

For more information on set nets – see the Fisheries NZ Code of Practice at: www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/941-Set-Net-Code-of-Practice

“If you’re planning to go fishing with a set net and you’re not clear about what you can and can’t do, you’re risking a large fine or in some circumstances, you may find yourself before the court,” Espinoza said.

“We want people to have an enjoyable fishing experience – one to remember for all the right reasons.”

The public are encouraged to report any suspected illegal activity to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ 0800 4 POACHER line (0800 476 224).

For further information, call MPI on 0800 008 333 or email: info@mpi.govt.nz