The consultation has closed and submissions are being reviewed, with final advice to be presented to the Minister in 2025. Further updates will be published here.
Appendix – Posters presented at Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod public drop-in information sessions [PDF, 22 MB]
Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod - Responsible Fishing Guidelines [PDF, 1.6 MB]
Fisheries New Zealand was seeking ideas and feedback on proposed changes to the blue cod (rāwaru) seasonal closure in the Marlborough Sounds (Te Tauihu-o-te-waka) to reduce fishing pressure. If approved, any changes would apply from the end of 2025 onwards.
Your input was also sought in developing a package of wider potential measures to ensure long-term sustainability of the fishery. Submissions were emailed or posted before 1 December 2024.
During consultation, we held public drop-in sessions to present information, answer questions, and assisted with making submissions. These were hosted by Fisheries New Zealand officials and Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod Technical Group members at:
Marlborough Sounds blue cod are a taonga which play an important role in the local ecosystem, and support an iconic fishery for many Kiwis.
Over the years, pressure on the stock has increased, with high fishing effort and cumulative stressors such as sedimentation, benthic disturbance, and marine heatwaves.
Independent surveys and reports from many fishers and long-time residents demonstrate low levels of abundance, and a growing community concern about the sustainability of the stock. In 2021, a potting survey indicated that significant overfishing is very likely occurring and retrospectively has been for a significant time.
In response, the then Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in 2022 decided to cut the commercial catch limit, or TACC, and form a multi-sector group to identify measures to reduce fishing pressure.
This group (the Marlborough Sounds Blue Cod Technical Group) met throughout 2023, and provided the Minister with a report of their findings. FNZ is now consulting on a potential change to the seasonal closure in the Marlborough Sounds, and seeking input in developing a package of wider measures to ensure long-term sustainability.
Proposal to extend the seasonal closure (from December 2025):
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.
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