Update – 15 February 2024
The related document was added to the consultation documents list:
- Estimation of release survival of pelagic sharks and fish in New Zealand commercial fisheries
For individuals
Mā te takitahi
Commercial fishers landing exception: Southern bluefin tuna
Background to exceptions
Under the Fisheries Act 1996, commercial fishers are prohibited from returning or abandoning to the sea, or other waters, any fish or shellfish that are subject to the Quota Management System (QMS). However, the Act allows for exceptions to the rule.
See section 72A(2) of the Fisheries Act 1996 – NZ Legislation
Have your say
Fisheries New Zealand is reviewing the current commercial landing exception for southern bluefin tuna, which allows commercial fishers to return southern bluefin tuna to the sea if it was likely to survive irrespective of how it was caught.
Southern bluefin tuna are known to be a relatively robust fish, and have been estimated to have a high likelihood of post-release survival when caught and returned alive by surface longline and troll. Therefore, Fisheries New Zealand is proposing to provide a landing exception allowing commercial fishers to return live southern bluefin tuna that are caught with surface longline and troll only. We propose to remove the landing exception for all other methods.
We’d like your feedback on this proposal. Full details are in the consultation document. Consultation is open from 2 February to 1 March 2024.
Consultation document
Commercial fishers landing exception: Southern bluefin tuna [PDF, 781 KB]
Related documents
FAR 2024/07 Estimation of release survival of pelagic sharks and fish in New Zealand commercial fisheries [PDF, 9.7 MB]
Commercial landing exception reviews: Operational guidelines [PDF, 386 KB]
Commercial landing exceptions: Policy context and legal overview [PDF, 358 KB]
Related consultations
Commercial fishers landing exception: Pacific bluefin tuna (closing 9 February 2024)
Related information
Implementing the Fisheries Amendment Act 2022
Making your submission
Email your feedback by 5pm on 1 March 2024 to FMSubmissions@mpi.govt.nz
A template is available to help you complete your submission. It includes questions you may like to answer to help you with your submission, and further space for any other feedback.
Submissions template [DOCX, 91 KB]
While we prefer email, you can post written submissions to:
Fisheries Management – National Direction
Fisheries New Zealand
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington 6140.
Make sure you tell us in your submission:
- your name and title
- your organisation's name (if you are submitting on behalf of an organisation)
- your contact details (such as phone number, address, and email).
Submissions are public information
Note that all, part, or a summary of your submission may be published on this website. Most often this happens when we issue a document that reviews the submissions received.
People can also ask for copies of submissions under the Official Information Act 1982 (OIA). The OIA says we must make the content of submissions available unless we have good reason for withholding it. Those reasons are detailed in sections 6 and 9 of the OIA.
If you think there are grounds to withhold specific information from publication, make this clear in your submission or contact us. Reasons may include that it discloses commercially sensitive or personal information. However, any decision MPI makes to withhold details can be reviewed by the Ombudsman, who may direct us to release it.
