{"id":161806,"date":"2025-11-30T22:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T22:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/161806\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T22:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T22:59:10","slug":"doc-offers-marine-reserve-rule-reminder-after-spike-in-breaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/161806\/","title":{"rendered":"DOC offers marine reserve rule reminder after spike in breaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Department of Conservation is reminding fishers to be mindful of marine reserve rules this summer after a spike in breaches over the season last year.<\/p>\n

Last month, 1News reported<\/a> new figures which revealed illegal fishing in New Zealand’s marine reserves is showing no sign of slowing.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, DOC recorded 105 confirmed offences last summer, alongside 126 reported alleged incidents across the 44 no-take marine reserves \u2014 areas where fishing was completely banned to protect and restore sea life.<\/p>\n

One of the worst cases last year involved claims that between 100-200 fish were taken from the Goat Island Marine Reserve in December.<\/p>\n

Another breach involved a group which collected kina, rock cods and over 1000 shellfish from Cathedral Cove \u2014 ignoring warning signage and track closures.<\/p>\n

Other incidents included crayfish pots just inside marine reserve boundaries, recreational trolling (towing lures), and more than 200 alleged incidents of people taking fish from marine reserves.<\/p>\n

DOC urged all boaties, fishers and gatherers to take a few minutes to check where marine reserve boundaries are. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur rangers see countless fishers fishing close to or on the marine reserve boundary. Drifting, tidal changes, or momentary inattention can result in accidental fishing inside a marine reserve – resulting in a hefty fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

More serious breaches of marine reserve rules can result in prosecution and jail time.<\/p>\n

\"Signage<\/p>\n

Signage is available at boat ramps and wharves, and many reserves have physical markers which clearly show where the boundaries are. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n

Goodin said the location of marine reserves are freely available online or on the MarineMate app. <\/p>\n

Signage is also available at boat ramps and wharves, and many reserves have physical markers which clearly show where the boundaries are.<\/p>\n

Goodin said last year, 67% of all reported offences over the past five years occurred between October 1 and March 30. Notably, 16\u201327% took place during the Christmas break, December 25 to January 5.<\/p>\n

On the best way to avoid accidentally breaking the rules, Goodin said to \u201cgive marine reserves plenty of space\u201d and \u201cfish well away from the boundaries\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a win-win for yourself and marine life within the marine reserves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodin also asked those who get a friendly visit from a ranger to not take offence.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d much rather educate fishers and boaties than take enforcement action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who witness or suspect illegal activity in a marine reserve can make a report by calling 0800 DOC HOT.<\/p>\n

Goodin said valuable information would include details and descriptions of fishers, where and when it was seen, and the nature of the alleged activity.<\/p>\n

\u201cInformation offered by the public is valuable, which includes photographs and videos. DOC treats all information provided in confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The morning’s headlines in 90 seconds, including the aftermath of a deadly cyclone across Asia, pet bonds now an option for renters and the Black Foils fall at the final hurdle in their SailGP championship chase. (Source: Breakfast)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Department of Conservation is reminding fishers to be mindful of marine reserve rules this summer after a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":161807,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[273,111,139,69,147],"class_list":{"0":"post-161806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-new-zealand","10":"tag-newzealand","11":"tag-nz","12":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}