{"id":585200,"date":"2026-08-30T19:38:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/585200\/"},"modified":"2026-08-30T19:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T19:38:20","slug":"act-announces-plans-for-fisheries-reform-would-impose-shellfish-bag-limits-and-increase-fines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/585200\/","title":{"rendered":"ACT announces plans for fisheries reform, would impose shellfish bag limits and increase fines"},"content":{"rendered":"

ACT has announced plans to impose a nationwide daily bag limit of 10 shellfish<\/a> if elected, as part of their wider plan to rebuild fish stocks and protect vulnerable marine environments.<\/p>\n

The policy would also apply to other covered species that do not already have their own individual daily limit.<\/p>\n

The party also wants to end scallop dredging in fisheries that are currently closed, as well as increase infringement fees for people who break the rules to provide a “genuine deterrent”.<\/p>\n

The full plan sets out a number of priorities.<\/p>\n

It would set up a “distinct fisheries management area” matching the boundaries of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, so depleted stocks can be rebuilt while preserving existing quota holders’ proportional property rights.<\/p>\n

It would also require Fisheries New Zealand to measure the economic and environmental cost of high-impact fishing methods and adjust existing fisheries levies so they are proportionate to damage caused.<\/p>\n

ACT also intends to change the way fisheries are managed to ensure higher fish stocks and “greater abundance” rather than treating maximum sustainable yield as the target.<\/p>\n

Conservation spokesperson Cameron Luxton said a healthy marine environment was the foundation of a successful fishing industry.<\/p>\n

“ACT’s six-part plan will unlock New Zealand’s fishing potential by rebuilding fish stocks, protecting vulnerable marine environments, and creating the conditions for better recreational and commercial fishing.<\/p>\n

“ACT’s approach is to protect the resource while preserving the freedom to use it.<\/p>\n

“That means rebuilding fisheries where they are depleted, protecting vulnerable habitats from genuine damage, and replacing blunt restrictions with rules focused on actual risks,” he said.<\/p>\n

New Zealand First’s deputy and current Fisheries Minister Shane Jones said the ACT Party was trying to appeal to hunters and fishers because of declining public support.<\/p>\n

“The ACT Party are now predating and trying to win votes in the hunting and gathering community and they remind me a little bit of the hunters and shooters party in New South Wales. But hey, when your poll is flagging you’ve got to go and find succour where you can locate it.”<\/p>\n

He said a ban on scallop trawling was overdue, and the idea of having no commercial fishing in Hauraki Gulf had first been proposed by former National Minister Nick Smith.<\/p>\n

“Just shows that in fisheries policy, there’s nothing new left under the sun.”<\/p>\n

He was not strongly against any of what ACT was proposing, saying he was also working on ways to “safeguard the rock pools around Auckland” – either decrease the take, or expand the rahui.<\/p>\n

“I think we could significantly reduce the amount of sea species that are taken from the rock pools, and enforcement then becomes a key issue … because my fisheries bill is marooned in the select committee there is a problem with giving enforcement officers suitable powers to actually patrol those areas.”<\/p>\n

The full policy can be read here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ACT has announced plans to impose a nationwide daily bag limit of 10 shellfish if elected, as part…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":585201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-585200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585200","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=585200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/585201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}